


Living in the Past

by Enelya_Seregon



Series: Through Time Together [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:48:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 69,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23254948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enelya_Seregon/pseuds/Enelya_Seregon
Summary: During the duel in the graveyard Harry is thrown back to Brooklyn 1935 where he meets Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. Now he has a choice to stay in the past and be 'Just Harry' or return to his time and contiune the fight aghinst Voldemort...turns out that it's actually not that hard of a decision.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Steve Rogers
Series: Through Time Together [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1672072
Comments: 84
Kudos: 659
Collections: Harry Potter Crossovers, Marvel Verse FF, Series that I want to read once they are complete





	1. June 24-30, 1935

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文-普通话 國語 available: [[译]Living in the Past回到过去](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25466875) by [yelancc](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yelancc/pseuds/yelancc)



> If you reconize it, then it's not mine. Unbeta'd, so hopefully there aren't too many mistakes.  
> So I had the wonderful yelancc contact me about translating my work into Chinese. She is now done the first chapter and it can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25466875/chapters/61773520 and http://mtslash.me/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=321098&page=1&extra=#pid5174072

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you reconize it then it's not mine. Un'betad so hopefully there aren't too many mistakes. I have done a quick edit changing Euphemia's last name, but it's not important until the thrid book

The day had started out like any other day. Sixteen-year-old Steve Rogers was sitting outside in the tiny greenspace near his house sketching, when there was a blinding flash of golden light. When he could see again there was the body of a small boy lying in front of him. Seeing the blood, he threw down his sketch pad and rushed to see if the boy was still alive. Noticing the rise and fall of the boy’s chest Steve let out a sigh of relief. Looking up Steve called out to his friend, glad for once that James Barnes was never far. “Bucky! I need a hand over here!”

“Steve, what’s going on? Are you okay…who’s this?”

“I don’t know. He came running around the corner looking panicked and scared, then he fell and passed out. You have to help me take him home.” Steve was quick to lie in order to cover up the boys clearly magical arrival.

“Steve, we don’t know anything about him…”

“Bucky, he’s bleeding out. We need to get him to my Ma, so she can patch him up. He’s in no condition to do anything to anyone.”

Shaking his head Bucky bent down to pick the small boy up. “You better run ahead and warn your Ma Steve.”

Nodding Steve took off towards his house. He was glad Bucky had suggested he go ahead. Crashing through his front door Steve yelled for his mom. “Ma! Ma, we need your help!”

Sarah Rogers stepped out of her room, her hair a wild mess. “Steve sweetie, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“No Ma, its not me or Bucky. I don’t know where he came from, he just appeared out of nowhere. His back is badly injured and he’s losing a lot of blood. I think we need to call granddad.”

Nodding, Sarah tied her apron and pulled her hair up into a messy bun before clearing off the kitchen table. “Where is he?”

“Bucky’s bringing him.”

“Go get my emergency kit then call your granddad.” Not waiting to see if her son followed her orders, Sarah put pots of water on the stove to boil while covering the table with a stained, but sterile cloth. Steve returned with his mother’s emergency kit just as Bucky arrived carrying the small boy. “Put him down on the table James.” While Bucky put the boy down Sarah gathered what she needed from her kit. “If you need to head home James, Stephen and I can handle this.”

Understanding the dismissal when he heard it, Bucky frowned, but headed towards the door. “If you need help, you’ll come and get me?”

“Of course, James.”

“Don’t worry Bucky, Ma and I have this under control. I’ll let you know how he’s doing.”

With one last glance at the unconscious and bloody boy Bucky left, heading back to his house. The moment he left Steve pulled out a second emergency kit from behind the stove. Opening it he began pulling out potions and other magical medical supplies. “Granddad said he would floo in a couple of minutes with more supplies.”

“Good. Help me take his cloths off, I need to see just how badly he’s hurt.” Together mother and son worked to uncover and clean the boy’s injuries.

“Sarah? Steven?” a deep masculine voice called out from one from the back rooms.

“In the kitchen Da.” The man that entered the kitchen was tall and young looking, he looked no more than 30, though he was closer to 60. His shoulder length blond hair was tied back in a low ponytail. All in all, Lord Theodore Grant was a very imposing figure.

“Steven said this boy is probably magical, what have you found so far Sarah?” Theodore walked closer to the kitchen table, staring down at the unconscious boy.

“I haven’t had much time to examine him, but the cuts on his back are definitely magical in origin. Could you cast a diagnostic charm Da?”

“Of course, dear one.” Pulling out his wand Theodore allowed himself a moment to bemoan the fact that his only child was a squib and that due to his illnesses his grandson was little better. _Though,_ he thought as he cast the spell. _It’s probably Steven’s magic keeping him alive though all his medical issues._ Scanning the parchment Theodore scowled and recast the spell.

“Dad…is everything alright?” silently he handed his daughter the parchment, then began casting spell upon spell on the boy. Reading the parchment Sarah paled, “oh my.”

“Ma? What’s going on?” coming up beside his mom Steve took the parchment from her hands and read it over.

_Hadrian (Harry) Jameson Potter-Black born July 31, 1980_

_Father: Jameson (James) Fleamont Potter – deceased_

_Mother: Lily Elenore Evans – deceased_

_Godfather: Sirius Orion Black – incapacitated_

_List of Injuries_

_Spider bite with poison – left leg_

_Large cut – right arm_

_Horcrux in curse scar…._

Steve wasn’t sure which alarmed him most, the boy’s birthdate or the massive list of injuries. “How accurate is this Granddad?”

“Very. I can understand your concern, but I haven’t miscast a diagnostic spell since I started healer training. Somehow this boy managed to travel through time. By the looks of him, it’s not a very nice future.”

“While this is all very interesting, why don’t you help me stabilize him. We can talk about the merits of the future afterwards.” Properly scolded the two men turned back to the table in order to help heal the young boy.

Once Sarah and Theodore were certain that they had done all they could for the boy Theodore levitated him to Steve’s bed, which the boy had graciously offered up. Once he was sure his daughter and grandson had everything under control Theodore turned to leave. “Floo me if you need me and do let me know when he wakes. I left a supply of potions with Steven. This Hadrian hasn’t even woken yet and already our boy is taken with him.”

Sarah laughed. “So, I see. I don’t think Steve is going to leave his side. Don’t worry Da, we’ll keep you up to date. If I don’t floo you, Steve will.” Giving his daughter a hug and kiss Theodore floo’d back home, determined to return the next morning regardless if Sarah or Steven had floo’d or not.

In his room Steve had set about trying to make both Harry and himself as comfortable as possible given the lack of space and soft things. Once he was satisfied with the level of comfort he settled down on the floor beside his bed. He had thought about bringing a chair into the room, but the only chairs he could lift were the kitchen chairs and those were decidedly uncomfortable.

“Steve, honey, how are you doing?” Sarah poked her head into the room and had to supress a giggle. She was sure her son had hijacked every pillow and blanket in the house. “I better still have a pillow and blanket in my room.”

“Don’t worry Ma, we’re good and I didn't take anything from your room. I’ll stay with him; you need your sleep before your shift at the hospital tomorrow. I’ll floo granddad if I need anything. You don’t have to worry about us.”

Sarah smiled at her boy; he was too generous for his own good sometimes. Crossing the room, she kissed her sweet boy on the head. “Whatever did I do to earn such an amazing son?” Leaving the two boys to themselves Sarah headed for her room to attempt to get as much sleep as possible. In his room Steve checked over Harry once more before curling up in his nest of blankets and pillows beside the bed.

~*~

Harry woke slowly, sitting up he hissed in pain, his body on fire. Giving up on trying to sit Harry tried to remember what happened and figure out where he was. _This isn’t the hospital wing, so, where am I? the last thing I remember is dueling Voldemort and the golden cage. Merlin, I hurt. Where the hell are my glasses?_

Hearing movement from the bed Steve jumped up. “Hey, its alright, you’re safe here. My name’s Steve Rogers. I found you in the park and brought you home to my Ma, who’s a nurse. She healed you up as much as possible. How are you feeling?”

Harry turned to face the large blur that was beside the bed. “My back feels like its on fire. Do you know where my glasses are?”

“Glasses? No sorry, I didn't see any glasses when I found you. If you give me a minute, I’ll floo my granddad and he might know what to do.”

“Wait!” Harry called before Steve could leave the room. “You’re magical?”

“Not really. My Granddad is a wizard, but Ma’s a squib and my Da was a no-Maj. Granddad says I’d be magical if I wasn’t so sick. He thinks my magic is the only think keeping me alive. Let me go and get him and I’ll be right back. Are you hungry at all? I can bring you some water and food if you want.”

Harry couldn’t help but smile at the other boy’s honest enthusiasm. “That would be nice. I think I could eat a little.”

“Alright. I’ll be right back.” Steve bounded out of the room and down the hall to the small floo room his granddad had installed when his parents got the house. Throwing in the powder Steve settled down on the pillow set in front of the fire. “Grant Manor!” it did not take long for Theodore to answer the call.

“Steven, is everything alright?”

“Yes granddad. Harry just woke up. He asked about his glasses, but I didn't see any when I found him.”

“Let me gather some potions for him and I’ll be right over.”

“I'm going to get him some water, then start making some porridge.”

“Don’t worry about food Steven. I’ll get Mist to make something and bring it over”

Ending the call Steve went into the kitchen to fetch Harry a glass of water. “Knock, knock. I talked to my granddad and he’s going to come over in a few minutes with some potions and he’s getting his house-elf to make us something to eat.” Sitting down beside the bed Steve put the glass of water down before helping Harry sit up. Pilling pillows behind him to help him stay upright. Once he was sure the other boy was stable Steve handed him the glass, which Harry gratefully drank down.

“Where am I?”

“Brooklyn.” Seeing the slight confusion on the other boy’s face and taking in his accent Steve continued. “New York.”

“America! How in Merlin’s name did I end up in America?”

“That is a very good question young man, but I think introductions should come before explanations. I am Lord Theodore Grant, young Steven’s grandfather.”

“Oh, um, I'm Harry.” Theodore narrowed his eyes in irritation, not that Harry could see. Steve, however, knew that look. While his Granddad might not be as stuck up as other Pureblood lords, he did follow the traditions, even after leaving England. If there was one thing Lord Theodore Grant hated most it was bad manners.

“First things first, may I cast a diagnostic spell on you? I would like to make sure your injuries are healing properly.” Harry nodded, feeling slightly numb and unsure. People didn't help him without wanting something from him. Steve and Theodore watched the emotions flash over Harry’s face with concern. With a quick glance at the parchment Theodore was glad to notice that nearly all of Harry’s injuries were healing well. “This is pain potion, it’s only a mild one so let us know if the pain continues.” Theodore pulled a vile out of his pocket and handed it to Harry. “Now, I believe Steven mentioned that you were missing your glasses. If you would allow me, I know a spell that corrects one’s eyesight.”

Harry perked right up. “Really? Yes! That would be amazing, not to have glasses.”

“Very well. Steven you need to move and Hadrian you need to remain as still as possible and keep your eyes open.” Harry didn't have a chance to correct the lord on his name as he quickly had the man’s wand pointed at his eyes. He couldn’t hear the spell, but he could soon see clearer than ever before.

“Brilliant! I have never seen so clearly before. Thank you.”

“You are most welcome young one. Now,” Theodore conjured a chair for himself. “Why don’t you tell us about yourself Hadrian. What happened to you to cause such injuries?”

Harry shifted as best he could without aggravating his injuries. “Well, I don’t know how much you’ve heard about what happened in England thirteen years ago,” Theodore and Steve both admitted to knowing nothing about it. Harry thought about how to explain for a moment before continuing. “Well the basics are that the Dark Lord Voldemort had risen to power, and my parents were part of the resistance against him. I don’t know why, no one will tell me, but he decided to kill me. He came to the house where my parents were hiding on Halloween 1981. The house had been under Fidelus, but their secret keeper was a traitor and told Voldemort where to find us. He killed my parents, but something happened when he tried to kill me, and he disappeared.” Harry found himself telling them a bit about his muggle relatives, the issue around his Hogwarts letter and the past four years at Hogwarts.

Theodore and Steve listened in shock, horror and amusement. “I hate to add to your troubles Hadrian, but…well there is no gentle way to put this, so I shall be direct and to the point. Not only have you traveled to America, but you have also traveled into the past, it is June 25, 1935.”

Steve watched the colour drain from Harry’s face. Wanting to comfort the other boy he reached out and took one of the small hands into his own. “Hey, it will be alright. I'm sure that your family and friends will be looking for ways to bring you home and we can do the same thing on our end.”

“Steven is correct. We shall do everything within our power to get you back to your time. For now, my daughter has said that you are more than welcome to stay with her and Steven. If you are still here come September, I shall arrange for you to attend Ilvermorny, which is our version of Hogwarts. When you are well, we shall go to Gringotts and see about opening you a vault. For now, though, you need to rest. I understand this must be extremely difficult for you but have no fear, we shall figure it all out in time. Steven, Mist shall be awaiting your call for when you boys need food.” Standing Theodore gave both boys’ shoulders a squeeze before leaving the room.

The pair sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, neither one releasing the hand of the other. A quiet pop startled them into finally releasing the other’s hand. “Mist is bringing young masters their breakfast. Master Grant is also sending potions that need to be taken.” The well-dressed house elf placed two trays down on the edge of the bed. “Young masters is to be calling Mist if they is needing anything else.” With stern look at the boys and a pointed finger she disappeared with a quiet pop.

The boys blinked, looked at each other and burst out laughing. Harry had to wrap an arm around his chest to hold his ribs, but it felt so good to have an honest laugh. He couldn’t really remember the last time he had laughed like this. Beside him Steve was noticing how Harry’s eyes lit up and sparkled with his laughter and after wishing that he could see what colour they were, he swore that he would do anything to see that happen again.

“I think we should eat before Mist comes back to really scold us, and you need to take those potions.” Steve stood and picked up the tray with the potion vials to hand to Harry before taking his own and settling back down on the bed beside the other boy.

Giving a small laugh Harry allowed Steve to place the tray on his lap. Picking up the second tray Steve sat down beside Harry he wasn’t sure if he was glad that because of how small the bed was they were sitting close enough that their legs were touching. The boys ate their breakfast in silence with Steve taking their trays to the kitchen when they were finished, returning with a refilled glass of water for Harry.

“I’m assuming I’m stuck here for a while hun?” Harry asked with a little glare directed at the bed.

Steven laughed at the look. “Yeah, granddad wants you to stay in bed for a couple of days at least. I’ll stay and keep you company. Schools done and I don’t have a job, so you get my undivided attention.” Something about what Steve said and how he said it made Harry blush and duck his head. Noticing the blush made Steve want to see it again.

“What do you suggest we do to pass the time?” Harry asked when he finally felt the heat leave his face.

“We can take turns asking questions, but we both have to answer their question. It’ll make the time go by and we can get to know each other.”

“That sounds alright, who goes first?”

“Well, seeing as you’re the reason we’re stuck here you can go first.” Steve joked.

“How old are you?”

“I’m sixteen, but I’m turning seventeen on July forth, you?”

“I’ll be fifteen on July thirty-first. Your turn.”

“What did your parents do? Ma’s a nurse and my dad was a solder. He died not long after I was born, during the Great War.”

“Your dad fought in the First World War? That’s a neat piece of history. I don’t know what my parents did. No ones told me much about them, I didn’t even know what they looked like until my first Christmas at Hogwarts.”

“That’s horrible…wait did you say First World War? You mean there’s another one coming?”

“Oh Merlin,” Harry put his head in his hands. “I forgot I’m in the past. Yeah, there’s a second one coming, but I don’t know too many details. We hadn’t covered it in school before I started Hogwarts.

“That’s alright. I’m sure it’s probably better not knowing too much. What Hogwarts like?” Steve quickly asked not wanting Harry to dwell on the slip up.

“That question is against the rules,” Harry laughed. “But I suppose I can indulge you, on one condition. You have to tell me what’s its like to live here.”

“Deal.”

The pair took turns telling stories of their childhood, though Harry was careful about which stories he told. They only took a small break when Mist brought them their lunch, so both were a little shocked when Sarah poked her head in. “How are you boys doing?”

“Ma! Your home, what time is it?” Steve jumped up to give his mom a hug.

Sarah laughed. “It’s almost seven, I just got home and thought I’d check up on you both before I made dinner. How are you feeling Harry?” Sarah carefully made her way across the minefield of pillows and blankets to stand next to the bed.

“I’m alright Mrs. Rogers.”

“No significant pain or swelling?”

“No ma’am.”

“Do you mind if I have a look at your back? I’d like to make sure everything is healing properly.” Slowly and carefully Harry leaned forward, allowing Sarah to lift his shirt and look at the angry red marks crisscrossing his back. Prodding the marks gently Sarah nodded her headend lowered Harry’s shirt. “Everything seems to be healing nicely. You still need to be careful about your movements, but you should be able to get out of bed sooner rather than later. Now, I’m going to make dinner. Steve you should go and let James know that Harry is alright.”

Steve looked back at Harry causing them both to laugh. “Steve, I’m sure Harry will be fine without you for a little while.”

“Your mums right. I’ll be alright by myself for a bit. You should go.”

Laughing Steve held up his hands in surrender. “Alright, I get it. I’ll go and let Bucky know everything is fine. I shouldn’t be too long.”

Sarah smiled at her son, “as long as your home in time for dinner.” Giving both boys a kiss on the forehead she stood and left the room. Harry stared at the open door with a shocked/confused look on his face.

“Harry,” Steve reached out to hold the other boy’s hand. When Harry looked up at him, Steve could see the smaller boy’s eyes were shining with unshed tears.

“Is that what having a mum feels like?” Steve gave him a sad smile and slowly wrapped an arm around him pulling him close. “Ron’s mum always insisted I was part of the family, and she gave me a few hugs, but she never treated me the same as her kids.” Not knowing what to say Steve stayed silent, just holding the smaller boy. After a while Harry gently pulled away blushing. “Thanks Steve. You should probably go and see your friend. I’ve taken up enough of your time.”

Steve gave Harry one more gently squeeze. “It’s no problem Harry. I really don’t mind at all. I’ll tell Bucky to come by in a few days to properly meet you, if your feeling up to it.”

“That sounds good. I’d like to meet your Bucky.”

“I’ll be back soon.” Steve stood and reluctantly left the room, stopping in the kitchen to talk with his mom. “Ma,” he said quietly, not wanting to startle her.

Sarah turned from the stove but paused when she saw the look on her son’s face. “What’s wrong love?”

“It’s Harry. He asked if that’s what it feels like to have a mom after you kissed him.”

“Oh, the poor dear. Well I’ll make sure to do that more often.”

“Thanks Ma. I'm heading over to Buck’s, but I’ll be home for dinner.” Feeling relieved Steve left the apartment and headed down the street to Bucky’s place.

Back in the room Harry found himself enjoying the privacy, yet missing Steve’s company at the same time. When he was sure he was alone, because he honestly expected Steve to come rushing right back. “Okay,” he leaned back against the headboard and hugged his knees. “Somehow, while duelling Voldemort I ended up in 1935 America. How the hell am I supposed to find a way home when I have no idea how I got here in the first place? I'm sure Dumbledore will try to find me, maybe Hermione might find something. I wonder if I could leave a message for them. But do I really want to? Here I have a chance to start again, be just Harry.”

Overcome by uncertainly Harry buried his face into his knees. Standing in the doorway Sarah couldn’t help but feel bad for the poor boy. Walking over she set the cup of tea down on the nightstand then sat down on the bed next to the lost boy. Reaching over she pulled him close and held him, just like she had done so many times for Steve when he was sick. “Oh sweetie, what’s wrong?”

Harry had frozen when he first felt the touch but melted into the embrace when he realized it was Sarah holding him. Hearing her call, him sweetie broke the dam holding back his tears.

Before he knew it, Harry was telling her everything, about his relatives, finding out he was a wizard, his years at Hogwarts, having everyone love him one minute then hating him the next. He told her all about the tournament and Ron turning on him, how he wasn’t sure he could really trust his friends, how much he hated his fame. “Is it wrong of me to not want to go back?” he finally asked. His tears had long since dried out and he felt wrung out and tired.

“No sweetie,” Sarah said, gently pushing Harry’s head to lay on her shoulder and running her fingers through his hair. “Its not wrong to want a fresh start away from all that. I’ll tell you right now, even if we find a way to get you back you are welcome to stay here if that is what you want.”

“You’d let me stay, even knowing I had a home to go to?”

Gently Sarah moved so she held Harry’s face between her hands and looked him hard in the eye. “Sweetie, I don’t know what they have told you, but what you had is not a home. How your aunt and uncle treated you is not right. They are lucky they are not alive yet because I would be heading to England to give them a piece of my mind. And how the English wizards treated you is no better. I'm hoping that you have the chance to learn what a family is supposed to be like. I know it’s a little early, but when you feel up to it you are more than welcome to call me mum. Now I've brought you some tea.” Sarah released Harry’s face and turned to look at the now lukewarm cup and laughed.

“Well…I will go and put on another pot and when you are feeling up to it you may come join me in the kitchen but,” she held up a hand to stop Harry from jumping up. “You must take it slow and you tell me the moment you are in pain so I can get you another potion, understood?”

Harry nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

Getting up Sarah kissed his head, picked up the now cool cup of tea and headed for the door. “The bathroom is across the hall and the kitchen is at the far end. You take your time Sweetie, there is no rush.” Giving Harry one more motherly smile Sarah headed to the kitchen to put on more tea, she would have preferred something stronger after listening to Harry’s story, but she refused to indulge with an injured child under her roof.

In Steve’s room Harry forced himself to calm down before slowly getting out of bed and making his way to the bathroom. After freshening up a little Harry slowly made his way down the hall, to his right was a small living room that despite its size looked warm and cozy. To the left was the slightly larger kitchen. It reminded Harry a lot of the kitchen at the Burrow. The coal range was in the corner close to the door, across from the range was a small round dinning table with four matching chairs. The window had a small collection of plants growing on the sill while the shear white curtains swayed in the slight breeze. Across the kitchen clothing hung on lines to dry. There was something about this room that screamed of home.

“Perfect timing sweetie. Tea’s done, come and sit down you shouldn’t be on your feet for long.” Sarah placed a tea set down on the table and poured Harry a cup. “Are you hungry at all?” she asked while pouring herself a cup.

“A little, but I can wait for dinner. I think if I ate now, I wouldn’t be able to handle anything for dinner.”

“Well then you just sit there and enjoy a cuppa. Despite being American now, I can still make a proper cup of tea, my dad ensured that.”

Taking a sip Harry sighed. Sarah was very good at making tea. “This is better than how the elves at Hogwarts make tea. Your dad’s English then?”

“Technically, we’re Irish, but dad grew up in England and went to Hogwarts. The Grant’s have been Hufflepuff’s since the begging.”

Harry laughed. “I can definitely see Steve as a Hufflepuff.”

“Its unfortunate that even if he had enough magic my Steve wouldn’t have gone to Hogwarts.” Sarah was interrupted by the front door opening. “Speak of the devil.” Reaching over she pulled out another cup and placed it on the table beside Harry’s.

“Mom, I'm back.” Steve called from the doorway.

“We’re in the kitchen honey.”

“Bucky says hi mom and he's thinking of coming over tomorrow to meet…Harry! You're out of bed! How are you feeling?” seeing Harry sitting at the table Steve rushed over to sit beside him.

Harry had to laugh at Steve’s enthusiasm. Hufflepuff indeed. “Your mom said I was alright to come and sit here. I'm doing alright, though I’ll need another pain potion before bed tonight. How’s your friend?”

“Buck’s good, just a little protective of me. He was a little reluctant to bring you here, sure that you were going to attack me or something.”

Harry laughed. “Just a little protective? What did he think I was going to do to you while I was bleeding out?”

“Who knows sometimes with Bucky?” Steve shrugged.

“Oh, don’t be insulting James like that Steven. You know that boy has watched out for you since you met. He worries about you just as much as I do. He just wants to make sure you are safe. I know you haven’t had an attack in the last few weeks but...” Sarah said as she placed the food on the table. “Now, how was your day?”

After dinner Steve helped Harry back to his room and into the bed. Not long after Sarah poked her head in. “You boys good for the night?”

“Yes Ma, we’re good.”

“Alright. Here’s a pain potion Harry. I expect you to take it when you need it or just before you go to sleep.” Placing the vial on the bedside table Sarah kissed both boys on the head while giving them a quick squeeze. “Good night boys don’t stay up too late. You both need your sleep.”

“Night Ma.”

“Good night Mrs. Rogers.”

Steve and Harry kept each other awake for hours, swapping stories about their crazier adventures until Harry's injuries became too much and they had to call it a night.

The next morning Sarah once again checked Harry’s back, but found it slightly irritated. “Today there is to be no moving beyond going to the toilet and back. I shouldn’t have let you up last night, so you’ll have to rest a bit more. Here are your potions. I’m sure Mist will be coming with breakfast soon but remember to tell her not to bring lunch if James is coming over. You’ll have to make do with what we have here. Have a good day boys. I’ll see you both later.” Kissing both boys Sarah left for the day.

Harry sighed and slumped down, feeling dejected. “Hey,” Steve nudged Harry’s legs. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll stay here with you and Bucky will come by later. He’ll probably bring cards and we can play.”

“I don’t know muggle card games.”

“Then we’ll teach you. Don’t worry about it. Though we should come up with a reason for your arrival and injuries.”

“Well, we could tell the truth...”

Steve shook his head. “No, we have to avoid all mentions of magic. I’m technically breaking the law just by being friends with him.”

“What! You have to be kidding me?”

“No, I’m not. Rapport’s Law is extremely harsh about No-Maj relations. So, we can’t tell him anything.”

“Well...what about the truth, minus the magic?”

“How so?”

“Well,” Harry shifted a little in the bed feeling slightly uncomfortable. “We tell him that my uncle is the one to have hurt me. I’ve been living with my aunt and Uncle since my parents died. Recently my uncle had a business deal here in New York and he brought me along with him. He wanted me to...to...to help him convince the men to sign the deal, but when I refused, he whipped me. As soon as I could I ran away from him, but got lost easily, which is where you found me.”

Gently Steve put his hand on the smaller boy’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s ok now. You don’t have to talk about it with me, but I know Ma will want to know and she can help. For now, just remember, those people haven’t even been born yet.” Slowly Steve’s hand travelled across Harry’s shoulders to pull him into a hug. While he was calmly helping Harry, inwardly he was screaming and wanting blood.

At first Harry wasn’t sure what to do. He had only been hugged – read tackled – by Hermione and the motherly hug from Mrs. Rogers. Yet, he soon found himself melting into the embrace. There was something about Steve’s touch that made Harry feel safe and warm, and there was something else, but he absolutely refused to think on that feeling just yet.

Hearing the front door open Steve quickly, but gently pulled away from Harry. “Bucky’s here.” He Explained, not wanting Harry to think the worst. Nodding Harry rearranged himself on the bed, trying to look casual or at least as casual a beaten lost teen in a different country could be.

“Stevie?” A voice called from the living room.

“We’re in my room Buck.”

James Barns had been feeling anxious and unsure since he brought that strange boy to Steve’s place, two things he was not used to feeling. He couldn’t believe he had allowed Steve to convince him to bring that boy to his house. How was he to know if this kid was a threat or not. Sure, Steve had been feeling alright the last couple of weeks, but what if an attack happened. It wouldn’t be the first time Steve suffered from one of his sickness’ suddenly. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Steve got sick and this stranger took advantage and hurt the punk. Standing in the open doorway of Steve’s room James paused to get a good look at the threat, only to find a tiny hurt and lost boy sitting on the punk’s bed.

“Harry, this is my best friend, James Barnes, but we just call him Bucky. Buck, this is Harry Potter. He’s staying with us for now.”

“Okay,” Bucky sat down on the edge of the bed. “You two better start explaining.”

“Well, Harry here was-”

“It’s ok Steve,” Harry put his hand on the other boy’s arm to quiet him. “I can tell him.”

The pair shared a look, then Steve nodded and backed down. Buck was surprised when Steve shot him a warning glare. _The Punk seems protective of the little brat. I'll have to bother him about that later._ Giving Steve a slight nod of understanding, Bucky turned his attention to Harry.

Harry, meanwhile, had missed the silent conversation of the other boys as he was busy having a breakdown. He had never told anyone about what his uncle had done. Even if he hadn’t said what Vernon had done, it was the closest he had ever come to telling anyone about it. _Why did I tell Steve? I know we could have come up with an excuse for why I am here. What is it about him that makes me trust him like that? I’ve never even thought about telling Ron or Hermione._

“-arry? Harry? Steve reached over and touched the smaller boy’s shoulder causing Harry to flinch away. Moving so quickly pulled on his scabs and Harry couldn’t repress the hiss of pain. “Oh god Harry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. We called your name a couple of times, but you wouldn’t answer. Are you alright? Do I need to get Granddad?”

Harry blinked a few times to clear his head. “No, it’s okay Steve. I’m alright. I defiantly pulled the scabs, and I’ll need some of those pain meds your mum gave me earlier, but not right now. Promise.”

James watched the pair with eagle-like eyes. He could tell there was something going on between them. He wasn’t stupid, no matter what the teachers like to tell his mother. He knew that Stevie liked blokes more than dolls, but he wasn’t going to say anything until the stupid punk told him. Sighing Bucky gave Harry what he hoped was a concerned/understanding look. “Who beat you?”

“W-what?” Harry stared at James, startled.

“That flinch was too instinctive to just be surprise. Who hits you?”

“M-my uncle and cousin, sometimes my aunt.”

“And your parents haven’t noticed or done anything about it?”

“BUCK!” Steve yelled at his friend wanting to protect Harry from the pain.

“What?”

“They’re dead.” Harry looked down at his hands clutching the blanket like a lifeline. He was surprised when Steve’s hand came to hold both of his in a comforting grip. Releasing the blanket Harry held onto Steve’s hand tightly. “My parents died when I was fifteen months old. I was left on my aunt’s doorstep with a note. They never wanted me and made sure I knew it.”

“Your Ma’s letting him stay with you?” Steve nodded, glad his friend understood without needing to be told more. “Good. Now, what have you two been up to?”

When Sarah arrived home that night, she had to supress a laugh. Clearly the boys had gotten sick and tired of being stuck in Steve’s room as they had taken over the living room. All the blankets and pillows Steve had horded had been moved, along with, “Is that your mattress?”

“Oh. Hi Ma. We didn't see you there.”

“Clearly. What have you three been up to?”

“Well, we started teaching Harry how to paly poker, but it got a little cramped, so we decided to move.”

“Don’t worry Mrs. Rogers, I carried both Harry and the mattress out here.”

“Thank you, James. Will you be staying for dinner?”

“I would love to, but no. My Ma wants me home on time tonight.”

“Well then you had best get a move on young man. It is already after five.”

“Oh shit. Ma’s gonna kill me if I'm late again.” Buck jumped up and rushed for the door ignoring Sarah’s chastisement about his language.

“Well,” Sarah closed the door behind a running Bucky. “It looks like you two will be sleeping here tonight.”

~*~*~*~

Harry woke feeling a little excited. Finally, after nearly a week on bed rest, he was finally allowed out and to top it all off Theodore was taking him and Steve to the American Gringotts. “Come along boys. I want to get everything done with the bank as soon as possible. I have an appointment at the ministry later this morning. Once we are done at the bank, I shall leave you boys to your shopping. If I am unable to return, then I shall send Mist to you. Grab hold and we will Apparate to Heilig Way. Hold tight now.”

Harry felt like he was being squeezed through a tube. It was all he could do upon landing to not loose his breakfast. “You alright Harry?” Steve reached out to help his friend upright. Harry only nodded. He was sure if he opened his mouth, he would lose what little control he had over his stomach. When he was satisfied both boys were alright Theodore directed them towards Gringotts.

Looking around the alley Harry felt like he was eleven again. While it had the same magical feeling as Diagon Alley, Heilig Way was more organized and open. Beside him Steve was smiling, happy that Harry was showing more emotions again. After Bucky had left after that first visit Harry had reluctantly told Sarah what his uncle had done to him. Steve hadn’t been there, once his mother had an idea of what Harry wanted to talk about, she had sent him to his granddad’s. When he had returned it was to find Harry passed out from exhaustion while his mother held him crying. He never asked what they had talked about, but his mother said Harry would tell him when he was ready. Since that night Harry had been withdrawn and quiet.

Entering Gringotts the boys followed close behind Theodore to one of the open tellers. “Good Morning. I would like to speak to Stonehammer.” The lord spoke with authority. The teller looked the group over then descended from his perch to speak with one of the guards. Returning to his post the teller simply pointed to the waiting area. Nodding to the goblin Theodore guided the boys to the line of benches on the far wall.

“Never let the goblin rudeness get to you. State what you need simply and directly. They value directness over the simpering politeness other magicals give them. Never call them sir, they see it as an insult being address like a human. Whenever you can use their name, address them as master goblin or simply avoid the use of a name all together. If you can earn the respect of the goblin in charge of your account, then they will make sure to invest your gold well and inform you of any issues.”

“Very true Lord Grant. I'm glad to see you teaching the younglings properly.” Coming up behind the lord was a very well-dressed goblin.

“Stonehammer. I'm hoping you can help us with a small problem.”

“Let us retire to my office then.” The goblin led them through a twisting turning maze of rock tunnels until they arrived at a large marble door. Pushing the door open with surprising ease the goblin entered the lavishly decorated office. “Sit,” he pointed to the grouping of chairs in front of the large marble desk. “What is the issue I can help with Lord Grant?”

“Well, to begin with both boys will need an inheritance test done.”

“Very well.” Nodding, Stonehammer reached into his desk and pulled out a small ritual dagger and two pieces of parchment. “Who’s first?”

“I’ll go first,” Steve said reaching for the dagger. He knew that his would cause the least amount of problems.

“Place seven drops of blood on the parchment. No more, no less.” Stonehammer passed one of the parchments to Steve.

Harry watched fascinated as Steve cut his finger and allowed seven drops of blood to fall onto the parchment. All three wizards were curious to what the test would show and didn't look away as the parchment absorbed the blood and writing appeared.

_Steven Grant Rogers_

_Born: July 4, 1918_

_Mother: Sarah Theodora Rogers nee Grant – Squib_

_Father: Joseph Rogers – No-Maj – deceased_

_Maternal Grandmother (Bearer) –Stefanus Grant nee Prince – deceased_

_Maternal Grandfather – Theodore Grant_

_Paternal Grandfather – Joseph Rogers – No-Maj – deceased_

_Paternal Grandmother – Kathleen Rogers nee Alan – No-Maj – deceased_

_Soul Connections:_

_James Buchanan Barnes (Brother)_

_Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black (?)_

_Inheritances:_

_Heir to the Ancient and Noble house of Grant_

“What’s a soul connection?” Steve asked as he looked up from the parchment.

“A soul connection or soul bond is someone with whom your soul connects with who is not related to you through blood. It can be parental, sibling, child, friend or lover. There have been people who have discovered the connection before ever meeting the other person. The type of connection can also change, depending on the interactions and feelings of the pair.”

“Is this soul connection why I was so quick to trust Steve, Mrs. Rogers and Lord Grant?” Harry had to know if this soul connection thing was affecting him.

Stonehammer shrugged. “Sometimes it can promote feelings of trust, but not once in any documented case of soul connections was that trust misplaced. After all it is your own soul and magic telling you that you can trust this person.”

“Hadrian,” Theodore looked over at the younger teen. “Would you like to do yours now?”

Harry could only nod. He was both excited and horribly nervous to see what his test said. Slowly he took the dagger from Steve, cut his finger and counted out seven drops of blood. Just like with Steve’s the parchment soaked up the blood before writing appeared. Taking a deep breath Harry looked down at the writing.

_Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black_

_Born: July 31, 1980_

_Mother – Lily Eleanor Potter nee Evans – deceased_

_Father – Jameson Fleamont Potter – deceased_

_Blood adopted Father – Sirius Orion Black – Indisposed_

_Maternal Grandmother – Rose Eleanor Evans nee Walsh– No-Maj – deceased_

_Maternal Grandfather – Hadrian Jasper Evans – No-Maj – deceased_

_Paternal Grandmother – Euphemia Potter nee Fontaine – deceased_

_Paternal Grandfather – Fleamont Henry Potter – deceased_

_Soul Connections:_

_Lord Theodore Grant (Grandfather)_

_Sarah Theodora Rogers nee Grant (mother)_

_Steven Grant Rogers (?)_

_Inheritances:_

_Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter_

_Heir to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black_

_Magical Abilities:_

_Natural Occlumency (Blocked by Albus Dumbledore November 1, 1981)_

_Natural Legilmency (Blocked by Albus Dumbledore November 1, 1981)_

_Parseltongue_

_Parselmagic (Blocked by Albus Dumbledore November 1, 1981)_

_Blocks, Spells and Potions:_

_Magical Core Blocked 65% by Albus Dumbledore November 1, 1981_

_Horcrux in curse scar_......

“Well, once again you have made light of a larger issue Lord Grant.” Stonehammer looked a little pale as he stared at Harry’s test. “Well, perhaps we can begin with the easier question of how you arrived here Heir Potter-Black?”

Knowing how difficult the story was for the younger boy, Steve reached out and took hold of Harry’s hand. Taking a deep breath and holding onto Steve’s hand with both his own Harry began telling his story. Taking comfort in Steve’s presence and what Sarah had told him days before, Harry left nothing out of his story. When he started talking about his uncle, Harry had to look down at his hands holding onto Steve’s in a hold that had to be boarding on painful for the other teen, yet he said nothing. He just held on.

When he finished his tale all three males were horrified. Unable to let the small boy continue alone Steve stood, pulled Harry upright and sat down in the now vacant chair before pulling Harry down onto his lap. At first Harry was shocked by the contact, but quickly relaxed into Steve’s embrace.

“Ah,” Stonehammer cleared his throat. “If you want to return to your own time we can-”

“NO!” Steve glared at his grandfather and the goblin. “No. Harry isn’t going back to those monsters.”

Theodore wasn’t sure if he should be proud that the boy was standing up for what he believed in or frustrated that the brat was daring to glare at him. “Unfortunately, that is not your decision to make Steven.”

“But,”

“But nothing Steven. By his telling Hadrian has had his choices taken from him. We will not do the same as those…people. It is Hadrian’s choice alone if he stays or if he returns to his own time. All we shall do is make sure he has all the information in order to make a properly informed decision. I apolgize Stonehammer, you were saying.”

“We can leave a note with our London branch to be open after Heir Potter-Black disappears, letting the headmaster know so he can arrange a way home. Now, I would need to double-check with our branch manager, but I believe we have a ritual that would return Heir Potter-Black to his own time. In the meantime, we need to do a cleanse on Heir Potter-Black to remove all the blocks and compulsions. We shall also remove the horcrux. I shall leave it up to you Lord Grant when and how you would like to explain it to the boys. While Heir Potter-Black is in the ritual room I shall have papers drawn up to place him under your guardianship Lord Grant. I will also begin transferring a small Potter vault to be used by Heir Potter-Black while he is here with arrangement for it to be paid back through the main vault after his disappearance. This is healer Stormclaw. She will take you to the ritual chamber Heir Potter-Black.”

Harry looked up at the female goblin, then back at Steve. “Its alright. If it were allowed, I would be right there with you. I’ll be right here when you get back.” Giving his hand a squeeze, Steve helped Harry stand and nudged him towards the goblin healer.

“If it would make you feel more comfortable Heir Potter-Black, Heir Grant may accompany us to the ritual chamber and wait outside.” Stormclaw smiled at the relieved look on both their faces and gestured for them to follow her.

Theodore and Stonehammer laughed when the office door closed behind the boys. “They have no clue, do they?” Stonehammer asked smiling.

“No.” Theodore agreed with the goblin. “I think Steve has a small idea, but Hadrian is absolutely clueless. If they are not courting by the end of the summer, I may have to step in and help them.”

“When they do begin courting, let them know that it is highly likely for them to become pregnant. Mates with a soul connection conceive easier and with your heir’s medical issues they will have to be doubly cautious.”

Theodore nodded. He would need to speak to both boys about sex, not a prospect he relished. “Let us get the guardianship paperwork done first. I have a meeting at eleven.”

~*~

Harry held tight onto Steve’s hand grateful the other boy was here with him. “This is as far as Heir Grant may go. There is a chair for you to wait in. Heir Potter-Black, please come with me.”

“Don’t worry Harry. The goblins won’t let anything happen to you and I’ll be right here when you’re done.” Letting go of Harry’s hand Steve settled himself down in the chair, watching as Stormclaw guided Harry into the ritual room. Steve wasn’t sure how long he sat there for, whether it was two minutes or two hours, he just kept meditating. Getting upset or worked up was never a good idea for him, it always led to him getting sick. So, he just kept meditating, focusing on his Occulmency shields. He was glad for the focused calm when Harry finally emerged looking frazzled and unsure. Standing Steve quickly made his way over to the other boy and wrapped his arms around him securely. “You ok?”

“Yeah…just really worn out.”

“Come along boys. Stonehammer will be waiting for us.” Hand in hand they followed Stormclaw back to the office.

“I trust everything went well.” Stonehammer stood to greet the boys. “I had snacks delivered. I understand the cleansing ritual takes a lot out of a person.” He gestured to a small table covered in food set in between two large comfortable couches. Still, feeling a little numb Harry allowed himself to be guided onto one of the couches and gratefully accepted a cup of tea.

“Unfortunately, Lord Grant could not stay like he wished, but he bid me to tell you to enjoy the afternoon in the alley. He left a purse of Dragots for you both to spend. I will also let you know that Lord Grant is now your guardian Heir Potter-Black. If you decide to stay in this time, it will be Lord Grant’s responsibility to look after your magical education, including financing it. We were also able to transfer one of the more obscure Potter vaults here for you. Notes have been written that will be left with our London branch, depending on what you choose. I don’t want to want to pressure you Heir Potter-Black, but if you intend to stay your name needs to be down for new students at Ilvermorny by July 20. Try not to think about it for the rest of the afternoon. Enjoy exploring the alley.”

When they were done eating (Stonehammer refused to let them leave before), Stonehammer handed over a bag filled with Dragots as he escorted them to the entrance. Thanking the goblin, the two boys left the bank, feeling better out in the sunshine. “Well,” Steve shook the bag making the coins jingle. “Let’s go shopping.”


	2. July 21 – September 1, 1935

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you reconize it then it's not mine. I am planning on updating once a week in order to give me time to write the second book.

Steve paced the kitchen nervously. Sarah tried in vain to hide her laugher as she watched. They were waiting for Theodore to return with Harry from Ilvermorny. It had taken Harry only two days to decide he wanted to stay in the past. Theodore had immediately registered Harry at the American wizarding school and arranged for placement testing.

Steve and Harry had spent the next three weeks going over all the textbooks Theodore had provided him. As it turned out Steve was a much better studying partner than either Hermione or Ron. Steve’s help had made it fun and interesting to the point where Harry was sure he could beat even Hermione’s test scores.

Theodore had arrived three days ago to accompany Harry to the school in order to sit his tests. The pair were due back any moment now and Steve couldn’t wait for Harry to be back. Hearing the floo chime Steve perked up and rushed from the room. “Steve, let them get in the house before you…oh never mind you're not listening anyway.” Laughing Sarah stood and put on the kettle.

Falling out of the floo Harry blushed when he realized Steve had caught him before his face met the floor. “How were the tests? What year did you get accepted into? What was-”

“Steven. Perhaps we can retire to the kitchen and have a cup of tea before you hassle Hadrian.” Theodore lightly scolded while herding the boys out of the floo room.

Entering the kitchen felt like coming home to Harry, especially when Sarah came over and gave him a hug. “I want you to know that I am very proud of you. No matter what grades you got.” She told him quietly before letting him go. “Let’s all sit and have some tea, then Harry you can tell us about your trip.” Sarah gave Steve a pointed look making sure he sat down before getting the kettle off the stove and pouring the water into the waiting tea pot.

“Mist,” Theodore called after looking in the ice box. “Bring us some light snacks please.” Mist popped out with a nod.

“Now Harry,” Sarah sat down after pouring the tea. “What did you think of Ilvermorny?”

“It’s a lot smaller than Hogwarts, more compact. And the stairs don’t move, so that’s kinda nice. I don’t think I’ll get lost easily either. Though I'm going to have to learn about Quodpod.”

“I can help with that. I follow a couple teams.” Steve passed Harry the platter of sandwiches Mist had brought. “What about the tests? How did they go?”

Blushing Harry found the contents of his cup suddenly fascinating, making Theodore laugh. “I believe Hadrian surprised himself with how well he did.”

“Don’t leave us waiting sweetie.”

“I um…I passed my OWLs. I didn't realize they had given me the OWL exams and with the tournament I had taught myself higher level spells so…”

“What OWLS did you get? Am I allowed to see your scores?”

“I got all the core courses, along with CoMC, dueling, healing, no-Maj studies, Runes and Arithmancy. The last few were a surprise. I never took them in Hogwarts. Steve’s a really good teacher.”

“I should hope so,” Theodore smiled at his grandson. “Steven may not have enough magic to cast most spells, but I have been teaching him the theory along with subjects he can do, even with his limited magic. He is very good with those subjects.”

Harry nodded. “I honestly don’t think I would have gotten the marks I did in those subjects if it wasn’t for Steve's help.” The smile Harry sent him made Steve’s stomach flutter and he knees feel weak.

“Don’t keep up in suspense any longer. What grades did you get sweetie?” Sarah topped up everyone’s tea, unable to keep still.

“Yes, I am curious to know as well. Hadrian refused to tell me until we arrived home.”

Blushing, Harry pulled two envelopes out of his pocket and handed both over to Sarah. Smiling at the boy she had come to see as her second son Sarah opened the first envelope, pleased to find Harry’s marks. “Oh Harry!” Sarah stood and rushed around the table to give Harry a tight hug. “You did wonderfully! I am so proud of you. I'm going to the store to pick up some things for dinner tonight. We are going to celebrate!”

“Oh no! you don’t have to-” Harry trailed off as Sarah was already gone.

“She’s right Hadrian.” Theodore put down the letters. “This is a reason to celebrate. When Sarah returns let her know that I will return, but I would like to freshen up and unpack first. Congratulations Hadrian, you have done a wonderful job.” Giving the boys’ shoulders a squeeze Theodore left the kitchen for the floo room.”

Steve looked over the report left laying on the table. “Wow Harry. You did well. No wonder Ma and Granddad are so excited.” And Harry really had done well.

_Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardy_

_Ordinary Wizarding Level Results_

_Hadrian Potter_

_July 21, 1935_

_Transfiguration – O_

_Charms – O_

_Herbology – O_

_Potions – O_

_History – EE_

_Astronomy – EE_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts – O_

_Care of Magical Creatures – EE_

_Runes – O_

_Arithmancy – EE_

_No-Maj Studies – EE_

_Magical Theory – EE_

_Dueling – O_

_Healing – EE_

“I surprised myself honestly. There are classes that I’ve never taken before. The only mark I'm not surprised with is DADA.”

“If you want, I can help you study before you leave, and we could see if we can find a set of two-way journals. That way if you need help while in school I can help then as well.”

Harry beamed. It was nice having someone offer help instead of being told that he needed it all the time. “That would be really nice Steve. Thanks. We could use the journals instead of waiting on letters all the time as well, that will be nice.” There was a moment of silence where the two boys just looked at each other. “So, umm,” Harry finally looked away sure he was blushing. “I think I'm going to go get changed.” Standing, Harry turned to leave the kitchen, but was stopped when Steve grabbed his arm.

“Go out with me?” Steve blurted out when Harry looked back at him.

“What?” Harry was sure he hadn’t heard Steve right. There was no way.

“Will you go out with me? On a date? I know we haven’t known each other long an honestly I'm not sure you even like blokes like that, but I really like you and would like to get to know you better in a more coupley way-”

“YES! Yes, Steve. I would love to go out with you.” Harry was sure his face was going to combust with how hot it felt, which only got worse when Steve shifted his hand from holding Harry’s wrist to holding his hand.

“Have lunch with me tomorrow in the Way. That way we can hold hands in public.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Smiling Steve leaned forward and kissed Harry on the cheek. “I’ll let you go get changed now. I just didn't want to ask you with Ma and Granddad around.”

Harry was sure he had a stupid goofy grin on his face as he made his way to the room he was still sharing with Steve. _I wonder what’s going to happen now. I don’t think Ma will let us sleep in the same room when she’s told we’re dating. But then there’s no other option other than one of us sleeping in the living room._ Returning to the kitchen Harry wasn’t really surprised that only Steve was there. Harry felt his face heat up again when Steve looked up and smiled at him.

Loving how Harry looked with the blush Steve passed the younger boy his teacup, which he had just topped up, making sure their hands touched. “So, I was thinking,” Steve decided to ignore Harry’s blush, hoping Harry would think it was normal. “We could have lunch at the café you said looked good last time. Then get some ice cream while we wander the Way. We can even try to find those journals.”

“That sounds really good. I can’t wait!”

“Can’t wait for what sweetie?” Sarah and Theodore entered the kitchen laden with bags.

Harry looked back at Steve in a minor panic. He wasn’t sure if Steve wanted his family to know about them or not. Reaching over Steve gave Harry’s hand a squeeze. “Harry agreed to go out with me. We are going on a lunch date tomorrow.”

“About bloody time!” Theodore put his bags down on the table ignoring Sarah’s outraged cry of “Daddy!”

“You two have been pining after one another since Hadrian woke up. I was giving them until the end of the month before I stepped in.”

“Oh Merlin.” Steve felt like banging his head on the table. “Were we really that obvious?”

Laughing Sarah put her hands-on Steve’s shoulders and kissed his head. “From day one honey.” Walking back to the stove she couldn’t resist taunting them further. “I'm fairly sure that James knows something is going on between you two. I would suggest you tell him sooner rather than later.”

Steve paled. “I'm not sure about that Ma.” Bucky was his best friend, but he was still a No-Maj.

Sarah shrugged. “Up to you honey. Now you can help me cook or you can get out of my kitchen.”

Steve immediately jumped up and headed for the door but paused when he noticed Harry wasn’t with him. Harry, meanwhile, had stood and taken a few tentative steps towards the stove. “Um, Sarah, I was wondering if you could teach me? I know how to cook, but that was using different technology…and I've always love cooking.”

Sarah held out her hand out to him smiling. “Of course, sweetie. I would love to teach you. My Stevie’s never shown an interest in cooking and I would love to have someone to pass down the family recipes to.” Taking her hand Harry smiled as she pulled him into a one armed hug. “This book is a collection of my own recipes along with some from my bearer’s family and my grandmother’s family. Maybe you’ll be able to add your own recipes one day. Now the most important part of cooking is the fire-”

Steve watched them with a smile, glad that Harry was getting the much-needed attention. And it got his Ma off his back, so win-win really. “Steven,” Theodore said softly not wanting to disturb the pair in the kitchen. “Come sit with me. We need to speak.” Turning he led the way to the living room couch.

The pair sat in silence for a while, Steve trying hard not to fidget. “Granddad, is everything alright?”

“Yes, everything is fine. Stonehammer just reminded me of something I needed to speak to both you and Hadrian about. I thought it might be easier to do so separately. I know you just began dating, and no I'm not going to criticize you for doing this instead of a proper courtship. I believe this new-fangled dating is a good thing. When you decide to become intimate, especially with another magical, you need to remember to use certain spells.”

“Granddad! I don’t think-”

“I don’t care Steven. For my own peace of mind, I need to make sure you know. You need to know the contraceptive spell or use muggle condoms. You have enough magic that you could become pregnant or impregnate your partner. If you were to become pregnant, I'm not sure you would be able to carry to term or even survive. Later, in life, when you are older and married, and you and your partner decide to have children, I highly suggest your partner be the one to carry the children. Do you understand?”

“Yes Granddad. I’ll be careful.”

“Good. I will speak to Hadrian about this later. I am certain he has no idea males can even become pregnant. I will also have to teach him the spells needed. Now, on to less serious topics. What are your plans for the rest of the summer?”

In the kitchen Harry was in heaven. Sarah had shown him how to light the stove and keep it going throughout the day. She had shown him the different pots and pans and taught him their uses, along with a promise to show him how to properly clean them. He was taught how to feel the heat from the stove to tell the different temperatures and how to judge doneness by look or a simple touch. Harry had always enjoyed cooking but having a mum beside him showing him new techniques made him fall in love with it all over again. It was a very proud Harry that brought dinner to the table that night.

~*~*~*~*~

The next week followed the same routine. Harry would help Sarah in the kitchen whenever he could, going so far as to wake up early to help with breakfast when Sarah was on the early shift. The rest of the day was split between Steve helping Harry study and the pair meeting up with Bucky to wander the streets of New York.

Their first date was quickly followed by a second, third, and now barely a week and a half after the first they were on their sixth. Steve had told Harry he wanted to go on as many dates as possible before Harry left in September, an idea that Harry had no issues with.

They had just returned from the Way and were indulging in a snogging session in their room. Hands were roaming, shirts had come undone and then suddenly Steve couldn’t breathe. Gasping, he grabbed Harry’s shirt with one hand while the other grabbed at his chest. “Steve?” Harry grabbed onto his boyfriend’s arm as he felt the panic build. “Steve? Mum! Oh Merlin…MUM!”

Hearing the scream, Sarah dropped the pan she had been using and ran for the boys’ room. A deathly calm washed over her when she realized what was happening. Gently she separated the boys and sat Steve down. “Harry,” Sarah never took her eyes off Steve as she spoke quietly to Harry. “I need you to go into the bathroom, in the cabinet are a package of asthma cigarettes, matches and a green bottle of pills. Bring them and a glass of water. Quick now.”

Grateful to have a mission Harry took off running. He didn't question why Sarah needed smokes nor did he think about what he had called Sarah in his panic. All he focussed on was getting the medicine to Steve as quickly as possible. Handing Sarah, the items Harry could feel his panic rising as he watched Steve struggle to breath.

“Thank you, Harry. Now I need you to floo my dad and tell him Steve is having another attack. Then wait in the floo room for him alright?” Sarah focused on lighting a cigarette and trying to get Steve to take a drag. She had to get his breathing under control before she could give him the heart medicine. “It’s alright baby. Don’t worry about anything else, just focus on your breathing for me. Harry’s gone to get Granddad. Mama’s got you.”

In the floo room Harry was trying, and failing, to control his panic. Sure, he had been told Steve had asthma along with other health issues, but he’d never actually seen an asthma attack before. It scared him. He was so focused on trying to calm himself he never noticed Theodore arrive and thus he flinched when the older man touched him.

“Harry, are you alright?” Theodore asked with concern. Harry was pale, wide-eyed and trembling.

“Y-yeah. I’m…I’m fine. S-Steve’s not though. He needs you.”

Gently placing his hand between the boy’s shoulders Theodore steered Harry out of the floo room. “Why don’t you head into the kitchen and put the kettle on. I know Steve enjoys a cup of hot water with honey after an attack and we can all use a cuppa when he’s better.”

Nodding absently Harry headed into the kitchen, glad for the task. He always coped better when he had a task. Harry took his time setting the tinder, starting the fire, adding the coal, rinsing and filling the kettle, then pulling down the tea pot and cups one by one. By the time the tea was done, and he had poured himself a cup, Sarah had joined him.

Taking one look at the pale and trembling boy Sarah rushed over to envelope him in a hug. “Oh sweetie.” Feeling the soft comfort of a mother’s embrace for the first time while dealing with a crisis broke something in Harry and he broke down crying. “Oh baby. I know. I know.” Sarah cooed while running her fingers through his hair. “It’s scary when Steve suffers an attack. He’s alright now. He’ll be on bed rest for a while though. So, I expect you to keep him company. Tomorrow, after you’ve gotten some sleep, I’ll show you how to help Steve through an attack.”

Harry nodded, already feeling better. “Are they always this bad?”

“Oh, Sweetie.” Sarah held him tighter. “While this one was bad, they can get worse. With all of Steven’s health problems a small asthma attack can leave him bedridden for months.”

Harry pulled away sure he hadn’t heard correctly. “What? Surely a simple asthma attack can't be that bad?”

“What has Steve told you about his health problems?”

“I know about the asthma and he's told me about being colour blind and not being able to hear properly out of his left ear, but that’s it.”

“That sounds like Steve. Doesn’t want to be coddled or be thought less of. I know he is bullied at school about his health even if he’s never told me.”

“I would never think less of him for it! I just need to know what to watch out for, so I don’t make things worse.”

“I know that sweetie and I know Steve knows it as well. He just doesn’t like burdening people with the knowledge. I can tell by the look on your face that you’re not going anywhere until I tell you his health problems are.” Sarah sighed in a found manner as she refilled her cup. “To start with he has scoliosis, it's just a slight bend in his spine, nothing really to concern yourself with. He gets back pain if he stands or sits for long periods of time, nothing a good back rub won't fix. He has astigmatism, which means his vision is slightly blurry. He probably should have spectacles, but he refuses and to be honest I'm a little glad. I can't afford new spectacles every time he gets into a fight.”

Harry had to laugh as he agreed with Sarah. In the month he had been in the past, Steve had gotten into a fight on a weekly basis. “The more serious issues Steve has, have to do with his heart. He has arrhythmia, which is an irregular heartbeat, heart palpitations, where his heart beats too fast and high blood pressure. Then there is his angina, which causes pain in his chest because his muscles are not getting enough blood. There is also his anaemia, thankfully he can take potions for that along with some to help his heart. If not for the potions he would be forced to eat pounds of raw liver every day.”

“Are there no magical cures for him yet?” Harry asked feeling very confused. He had never heard of any magical having heart disease and he was sure Hermione had mentioned cures during one of her pointless (to him anyway) research sessions.

“There are, but to go through the treatment he has to go to St Mungo’s. That unfortunately involves a full diagnostic charm being cast which would reveal that his father is a No-Maj, which is highly illegal. If MACUSA found out both Steven and I would be killed. To be with a No-Maj is an immediate death sentence for the couple and any children produced from that union, regardless of age. Thankfully Da is a healer, so he can help, but the cures require multiple healers and controlled potions. But I can honestly say Steve does much better with his limited magic and the few potions Da can make for him. Now,” Sarah stood an began fiddling with new cups. “Steve should be doing better, and he enjoys a cup of hot water and honey. You should bring it to him. Then I suggest the two of you get some sleep. Tomorrow, I will show you how to use Steve's medicine and how to help him. For now, sleep.”

Taking the two cups Harry hesitated for a moment before giving Sarah a kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight Mum.” Harry turned and left the kitchen quickly, so he never saw the look of surprise and love on Sarah’s face, nor did he hear the soft “sweet dreams my son.”

In their room Harry stood frozen in the doorway watching Theodore cast spells upon Steve. Logically Harry knew that Steve wasn’t much bigger than he was, but his personality, attitude and confidence made him seem so much larger. So, to see Steve lying in bed pale, shaky and sweaty was terrifying. Steve gave Harry a small shaky smile and held out a hand. “Hey, babe. I'm sorry if I scared you.”

“You are to stay in bed for the next couple of weeks young man. I will come by tomorrow to check on you.” Theodore patted Steve’s shoulder then left the room with a smile for Harry.

“You utter pillock!” Harry finally released some of his anger, now that he was sure Steve was going to be alright. “You should have told me about this, so I didn't freak out. Now drink your hot honey so we can get to sleep.” Harry gently passed over one of the cups then settled in the bed next to Steve. The pair drank their hot honey in silence before cuddling up under the comforter to sleep.

The next morning Harry was up early. He already had the stove lit, kettle boiled and had started on breakfast when Sarah entered the kitchen. “You’re up bright and early sweetie. Did you sleep alright?” she gave Harry a kiss on the head as she poured herself a cup of tea.

“Morning. I did sleep surprising well last night. What about you?”

“I was alright. I never sleep the best after one of Steve’s attacks. I suppose it was better for you sleeping next to him.”

“Yeah, it was nice having him right next to me. Is there anything Steve should be eating or not after an attack?”

Sarah smiled at her younger son. She was glad he would always be there for Steve. “Just keep his food light for the next couple of days. And of course, we need to make sure he takes all his potions on time. Steve is a horrible patient and hates being cooped up. I'm am going to need your help in keeping him in bed until Da tells him otherwise. We will have to get James to help us with Steve as well. That boy has gotten quite good at keeping Steve mostly in line.” Sarah then turned serious and pointed a finger at Harry. “You need to keep his heart rate down while he is stuck in bed young man.”

Harry blushed and lowered his head. “I'm sorry mum. I didn't realize-”

“I know sweetie. I was just teasing you. For future refence you shouldn’t worry about doing that again with Steve. You might need to take a few quick breaks during so he can catch his breath-”

“MUM!”

“What? It’s true. You also need to be cautious when you two decide to have sex.”

“Oh Merlin.” Harry hid his face in his hands. “I'm going to see how Steve is doing.” Harry left the kitchen to the sounds of Sarah laughing. By the time he got back to their room his face was beet red.

“Harry,” Steve looked at his boyfriend in concern. “Are you alright? You’re really red.”

“Yeah,” Harry settled down on the bed next to Steve. “Are Mums always embarrassing?”

Steve laughed. “Yeah they are. Do I want to know…Okay. How are you doing otherwise?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Harry was forced to smile. “I'm doing fine, embarrassing mothers aside.”

Steve leaned onto Harry’s shoulder. “I'm a little tired, but I always am.” They laid together in silence for a few minutes, until Steve realized something important. “Oh Merlin!” Steve tried to sit up quickly, but Harry quickly grabbed him. “I completely ruined your birthday!”

“What! My birthday?” Harry looked at Steve confused. “Was that yesterday?”

“You didn't remember it was your birthday?”

“No. honestly I haven’t really celebrated my birthday before. It’s only been in the last four years that I’ve had anyone send me things; and even then, it’s mostly food.”

Sighing, Steve adjusted his hold on Harry. “I'm sorry.”

“Hey,” Harry shifted to look at Steve again. “You have nothing to be sorry for. In the little over a month I've been here I've never been happier. You and your family have done more for me than anyone else in my life. The only thing you have to be sorry for is not telling me about your heart problems you pillock! I thought you were dying.”

“Your right. I am sorry I never told you. I’ll make it up to you once I'm allowed out, promise.” The suggestive look in Steve’s eyes along with the hand on his thigh let Harry know exactly what Steve was thinking. Blushing, Harry licked his lips and nodded. They hadn’t done much, but what they had done had been amazing.

“I wouldn’t be making too many promises if I were you honey.” Sarah laughed at the look on her boys’ faces as she entered carrying breakfast trays. “You are not going anywhere anytime soon Steven. And the both of you need to be more cautious in the future.” Gently she set the tray down on the bed, then sat on the end by Harry.

“Ma, we know already.” Steve whined. His granddad had already lectured him on being careful, he didn't need to hear it a second time.

Smiling, Sarah held her hands up in surrender. “Harry, I need to apologize to you.” Sarah picked her teacup up off the tray, ignoring Harry’s confused look. “We got so caught up in Steve’s attack last night I completely forgot about your birthday. I am sorry about that.” She quickly held up a hand stopping Harry before he could say anything. “No, it is not alright. A mother should never put one child before the other. At the very least I should have wished you a happy birthday. As I am working tonight, we shall celebrate over lunch. After you are done breakfast Harry, you should run over and let James know about Steve’s attack and invite him for your birthday lunch. How does that sound?”

Harry was stunned. He could never imagine Mrs. Weasley apologizing like that. She was always putting one kid before the others. Hell, she couldn’t even tell the twins apart. He wasn’t quite sure what to say, so Harry just nodded.

Getting up Sarah gave both boys a kiss. “Mist will be by soon with your potions honey and Da will be by around dinner to check you over. I will be in the kitchen if you need anything.”

Watching the shock and confusion at war on Harry’s face, Steve decided to let him be and tucked into his breakfast. He would do something if Harry didn't start eating soon. The smell of bacon brought Harry out of his head rather quickly and he joined Steve in demolishing their meal.

Leaning over to give Steve a kiss Harry then picked up the tray and headed for the kitchen. “I'm going to head over to Bucky’s now. Steve’s still in bed pouting and I heard Mist pop in as I left.”

“Alright sweetie. Try not to take too long, Steve gets antsy when he's stuck in bed alone.”

Harry gave Sarah a peck on the cheek. “Don’t worry mum. I won’t leave him alone for long.” Taking off Harry rushed over to Bucky’s and dragged the other boy back and into Steve’s room without an explanation.

“Ok, we’re here now. Harry what is going – oh no Stevie. Not again. What were you doing this time?” Bucky glared at his friend laying in the bed. Beside him Harry blushed and ducked his head while Steve stared at him lechery. Now, no one would (or could) ever say that James Barnes was unobservant, it was quite the opposite (and would do him very well in years to come as a sniper.) So, he was quick to notice his friends’ reactions and connect the dots. “Holy shit you two! I hope you are being careful.”

“Oh, jeeze Buck, not you too. We know to be careful with my heart okay?”

“No, you stupid punk! I get that you need to watch out for that. I'm talking about you getting shot! You remember what happened to Mr. Jameson?”

Steve paled and looked like he might get sick. “Oh yeah.”

“Oh yeah. Stupid punk.”

“Wait,” Harry looked between the other two. “What happened?”

Bucky sat down on the end of the bed and motioned for Harry to sit as well then looked pointily at Steve to start the story. “Mr. Jameson lived on the floor below us. He was your typical bachelor. Always helping around the neighbourhood. He’d help the older people with their groceries or the garbage. Even helped Ma out a few times. He was a really nice guy.” Steve seemed unable to continue so Bucky took up the story.

“A few weeks before you arrived Mr. Jameson was found taking a cock up his ass. The guy he was with took off, though he was caught later and thrown in jail. Mr. Jameson wasn’t so lucky.”

Harry shifted closer to Steve not liking the story but needing to hear it. “What happened to him?” Steve wrapped his arms around Harry and held him close while Bucky continued.

“The neighbourhood men dragged him out into the street yelling about him being a disgusting fag and how he would corrupt the children. They beat him to a bloody pulp then dumped him in the alley to die. The cops showed up at one point, but once they found out Mr. Jameson was a fag they left. So, you two really need to be careful. Look, I don’t care that you like blokes so long as you’re happy. I just don’t want to see it.” The three boys laughed and the mood in the room relaxed. They spent the next few hours talking, trying to keep Steve’s mind off being stuck in bed and Harry’s away from what happened to Mr. Jameson.

When Sarah came to call them for lunch, she found Harry laying on the floor laughing, James nearly falling off the bed and Steve trying hard to keep calm. Shaking her head in exasperation, she decided not to ask. “James are you joining us for Harry’s birthday lunch?”

Bucky shot a still giggling Harry a glare. “Yes Ma’am. And if it's alright afterwards I’ll run home and grab Harry’s present as he didn't bother to explain anything when he dragged me over.”

“Hadrian, you were supposed to talk to James, not just drag him over here. It’s called manners young man. You are lucky that it’s your birthday lunch and Steve is just starting to recover, or you would be in trouble. Now, James, you and Harry help Steve into the kitchen. He is not allowed to exert himself and I am pushing it by letting you out of bed Steven, so I expect you all to be on your best behaviour. Understand?”

“Yes Ma’am.” The three boys answered together. Even Harry, who had only been there for a short time knew that you didn't mess with Sarah Rogers when she used **that** voice. Together Harry and Bucky helped Steve up off the bed and worked together to carry Steve into the kitchen and settle him in a chair. When they were sure their friend was alright and properly settled the pair joined Steve at the table.

Sarah had gone all out once again. The food was delicious, and it didn't take long for the three boys to demolish lunch and most of the cake that followed. After taking Steve back to bed Bucky raced home to grab Harry’s present. When he got back and had settled on the bed with Harry and Steve, Buck gave Harry his present along with a punch to the arm.

“Mum,” Harry whined when Sarah joined them. “Bucky punched me.”

“Well, unfortunately I didn't see anything, and perhaps if you explained to people what was happening instead of dragging them around, I'm sure you wouldn’t get punched.” While normally Sarah would discourage such whining, it was gratifying to see Harry opening up and acting his age.

All three were extremely happy with the changes in Harry, he truly was coming into himself. Sarah was sure that the freedom to be himself along with finally having a loving family was breaking down the walls around Harry’s heart.

Carefully Harry unwrapped Bucky’s gift. It didn't matter to him that it was badly wrapped in newspaper, it was a gift from someone he would lovingly call brother. “Buck,” Harry was shocked. He was now holding Bucky’s pocket-knife. A knife that meant everything to Bucky. “I can't accept this. It's your knife.” Harry held out the knife for his brother to take back.

“Don’t even think about it Brat.” Bucky reached over and closed Harry’s hand around the knife. “My Da gave me one for an early birthday present, so I wanted you to have this one.”

Harry smiled as he tightened his grip on the knife. “Thanks. But this doesn’t make you any less of a Prat.”

Shaking her head at the boy’s antics Sarah handed Harry a large lumpy package. “This is from Steve.”

Like before, Harry carefully unwrapped his gift. “Oh, Steve. Your jacket. I know you love this one.”

Steve took the jacket from Harry and held it out for the other boy to try on. “I know, but you saw the one granddad bought me and I’ve seen you eyeing this one. So just shut it and put it on already Imp.” Harry was too worried about Steve’s health to fight him and was soon sitting beside his boyfriend in his new, old coat.

“Harry.” Sarah knelt in front of her younger son with a small square box in her hand. “You are going to listen very carefully, and not argue with me. Understand?” She waited until Harry nodded before continuing. “It is tradition in the Grant family to pass on special family items on certain birthdays. Now, generally a child’s fifteenth is not one of those birthdays, however, their first is. This is your first birthday as part of this family. I consider you my son and Da has said that you are his second grandson. James thinks of you as a brother and I have feeling that you and Steve will be together for a long time. Am I correct in saying that these feelings are returned as well?”

Harry just nodded his head; afraid he would lose composer if he spoke. “Good. This belonged to my mother’s family” Sarah passed the small box over to Harry. Inside was a beautiful silver pocket watch. The front had a delicate Celtic knot design around the edges but was otherwise blank. The back, however, had a coat of arms engraved on it. “Before you leave for school Da is going to have our picture taken and we will get the front engraved as well. The coat of arms on the back is the Prince crest, my mother’s family.”

Harry couldn’t have stopped himself if he wanted to. He launched himself at Sarah, wrapping her in a tight hug. “Thank you Mummy,” he whispered. Sarah just held him until Harry gently pulled away.

“Happy birthday Baby.” Leaning forward Sarah kissed his forehead then stood. “I'm off to work. You boys take it easy. Love you.”

~*~

The month of August passed in a flash. The three boys spent the first two weeks in Steve’s room with either Harry or Bucky running errands. Theodore came by often to check up on Steve and one afternoon stole Harry away for school shopping. Harry was both shocked and pleased to note that his school list called for notebooks and pencils rather than parchment and quills.

While getting his notebooks Harry noticed a display of leather-bound two-way journals, some of which that could be embossed with an image. Grabbing two Harry put them with the pile of non-school books Theodore was letting him pay for himself. Deciding he had enough books for now Harry headed over to the till. “What would you like put on the journal covers?” the wizard behind the counter asked.

Thinking, Harry put his hand in his pocket. Feeling the pocket watch he smiled and pulled the watch out showing the design to the wizard. He couldn’t help but smile as he remembered when the image had appeared just a few days ago.

Flashback

Harry and Steve had been cuddling in their room, while waiting for Theodore to come by. Eventually the cuddling lead to some light kissing and petting when Harry felt his pocket heat up. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the watch and together they watched it in fascination.

From the top of the watch a small raptor flew down, only to be tackled by a dog from the side. The bird flew up in agitation and hovered until the dog settled and lay down. When the dog was content and quiet the raptor flew down and landed on the dog’s back and seemed to settle there. Steve was the first to notice that the dog had a masquerade mask on it’s flank while the bird had a star on its chest.

They were quick to decide that the dog was a golden retriever, but they had no clue about the bird. Together they spent a few hours looking over the image for clues. When Steve pointed out the mask and star Harry noticed that the mask had two bars on one side while the star had an oak leaf emerging from the base growing towards the center.

When Theodore came by later that night to check on Steve, Harry showed him the watch and asked about the image. Smiling Theodore took the watch in his hand. “My husband’s watch is very special. When its owner makes a bond with the one, they are meant to be with, their spirit animals appear. The animals are usually a person’s animagus or the form their patronus takes. I would assume the golden retriever represents Steven, while the Merlin would be Hadrian.”

Steve fell into his pillows laughing. Harry was stunned. “Merlin! What?”

Theodore chuckled and handed Harry the watch. “Merlin is a type of hawk. Also known as a pigeon hawk. I believe that if you were to become an animagus you would become a Merlin.”

“What about the star and the mask?” Steve asked when he was able to breath. Harry glared at his boyfriend, not liking that Steve was being so laid back about his breathing problems so soon after an attack. Understanding Harry’ s look, Theodore put his hand on the boy’s shoulder to calm him.

“I am at a loss regarding the symbols. Though the two bars in the mask looks similar to a Captain’s Insignia, and the oak leaves are worn by Majors. Perhaps you will both join the military and become a Captain and Major someday. I am sure you will figure it out eventually.”

End Flashback

“Do you have everything Hadrian?” Theodore aske coming up from the other side of the counter.

“Yes granddad.” Harry took the bag from the clerk after giving him his thanks. “What do you think?” Harry asked as they left the store. He had pulled one of the journals out of the bag, eager to show off his idea. “He said the animals would move between the books, usually when a message has been sent.”

“This is very well-done charm work. I know Steven will like it. Did you want an owl as well?”

Harry immediately thought of his poor Hedwig. _I hope she is okay and knows I didn't willingly leave her behind._ “Um…does the school have owls for the students to use?”

“Yes, they do. You do not have to get an animal if you do not wish to.”

“Yeah…um, maybe I’ll wait.”

“Very well. We have acquired everything on your list, is there anywhere else you would like to go before we return home?”

“Is there anywhere to get a pocketknife for Bucky?”

Theodore thought for a moment. “Yes, I believe Samson’s sells muggle knives. Let us go and check.”

Later that afternoon Theodore dropped Harry off at home. Entering their room, he found Steve and Bucky on the bed, almost exactly where he had left them that morning. From the door he tossed a small package at Bucky’s head. “There. You, stupid prat.” Harry smiled as he settled on the bed next to Steve, watching Bucky unwrap the gift.

“What the hell Brat. I told you my Da already got me one.”

“Cut the crap Buck. I ran into your sisters at the grocers the other day. Mackenzie told me an interesting story when I asked about your birthday. Do you know what she told me?” Both Bucky and Steve were getting nervous. Harry didn't know it yet, but he was doing a very good impression of an angry Sarah Rogers.

“No, can't say that I do. After all Mackenzie is know for telling stories.”

“Oh. So, your birthday isn’t in March? That’s weird. When I asked Mum, she said it was. Unless mum was lying too.” Harry’s glare softened until he just looked sad. “You didn't have to lie about the knife Buck.”

“Yeah right Brat. If I had just given it to you, you would have refused or gave it to one of my sisters and told them I left it behind.”

Harry sighed, knowing his friend was right. “Fine. I’ll give you this one, but please don’t do it again. I’ve been lied to too many times. You’re only allowed to lie if telling would break the law, hurt you or if it’s a surprise. Okay?”

“As long as you two do the same.”

“Deal.”

After an hour of quietly playing cards a thought came to Bucky. “Why are you going to some fancy boarding school Harry? Can’t you just go to the same school as me and Stevie?”

“Its the sister school to the one I went to in England. My parents paid for my full tuition when I was born. It’s a family tradition to go there. My dad’s family have been going for generations. When granddad contacted them about the change in guardianship, they transferred my tuition over. As much as I would love to stay here it seems a bit of a waste to throw away my parents’ money and tradition like that. Besides, I’ll be home for Christmas and maybe Easter, depending on the workload.”

“You’ll write us?”

“Of course! I’ll send your letters in the same envelope as mum’s and Steve’s. I'm sure mum won’t mind adding your letters to their packages.”

Bucky stood and pulled Harry up into a hug. “I’ll miss you Brat. You keep yourself out of trouble.”

“I’m not the one who goes looking for trouble. And I’ll miss you too you Prat.”

~*~*~*~

August thirty-first came all too soon. Harry had gone to say good-bye to Bucky and his family before dinner, though he and Bucky had agreed never to mention the touchy-feely good-bye the week before. When he returned home, he found that Sarah had, once again cooked up a feast.

“You write as soon as you can, and at least once a week you understand.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“You do your best but remember that that I will be proud of you no matter what.” Sarah pulled her youngest son close and hugged him tight. “I love you.”

Harry hugged her tight. “I love you too mum.”

After dinner Steve pulled Harry into their room. They quickly changed into their sleep pants and cuddled up on the bed. The cuddling quickly turned into kissing, which led to touching that led to Steve having his hand down Harry’s pants.

Wanting Steve to feel just as good Harry reached for the ties on Steve’s pants, only to have his hand batted away. “Don’t worry about me. Tonight, is about you. Just feel. I want you to have something to remember me by when you are alone in you bed in the dorms.” Steve kept his touches light but firm wanting to make it last for as long as possible, wanting the memory for himself as well. Eventually Harry came crying out Steve’s name.

Steve waited until Harry had calmed a little before heading to the bathroom to get a wet cloth. Climbing back into the bed he used the cloth to clean Harry and himself of cum. Kissing Harry’s forehead Steve pulled him close and held him as tight as he dared. They slept soundly, wrapped in each other’s arms.

Harry woke the next morning to Steve’s alarm clock. Groaning he snuggled into Steve, pulling the blankets up higher. Unfortunately, Sarah was not so easily ignored. Banging on the door she walked right in and opened the blinds. “Time to get up boys. You both have school today. Breakfast will be ready in five minutes. If you are not in the kitchen by then I am coming back with a bucket of water.” Turning Sarah left the room, closing the door behind her.

Steve pulled Harry into a deep kiss before stretching and getting up. “What time are you leaving?” Harry asked as he too got out of bed and started dressing, trying not to stare too much as Steve did the same.

“Bucky said he would be here for seven fifteen. So…” Steve reached over to grab Harry’s pocket watch from the nightstand. “Just a little over half an hour. Starfeather and Captain both seem really excited today.” He couldn’t help but smile as he handed Harry the watch. Looking at the animals Harry had to laugh. It looked like they were playing tag, and he always had to smile when he thought of Steve naming them. Harry had told Steve about his dad and Sirius becoming animagi to be with Mooney and their animal names. So, Steve decided that if those were their likely animagus forms then they needed names as well.

“Come on,” Steve grabbed Harry’s hand and gently pulled the other boy out of the room. “Ma will throw a fit if we don’t move.”

“Good. You two did manage to find your way out of the covers.” Sarah slightly scolded her sons.

“Sorry mum. It’s the first time that I haven’t been excited to leave for school.”

“Oh sweetie. I'm sorry for getting you up this early. I just wanted as much time with you before you leave me for four months.”

“So, does that mean I get to go back to bed?” Steve asked with a cheeky smile.

“No Steven. You need to get back on schedule for school.” Harry stuck his tongue out at Steve from behind Sarah’s back. “Harry, we do not stick our tongues out at one another. Now all three of you sit and eat some breakfast.” Neither Harry nor Steve had noticed Bucky walking into the kitchen. “Good morning James. I'm glad one of you is on time this morning.”

“Morning Mrs. Rogers. I had to get up extra early this morning to help Ma with the girls.” Harry and Steve rolled their eyes when Bucky flashed his charming smile. For some reason the adults always fell for it, despite knowing what Bucky is really like. When he was sure Sarah’s back was completely turned and she wouldn’t see him Harry gave Buck the two-finger salute.

Reaching over to steal Harry’s last piece of bacon Bucky stood. “Come on Stevie. We better get going if we don’t want to be late. Have fun at your fancy school Brat, and don’t you dare forget to write.”

“I wont Prat. I’ll see you at Christmas.” Bucky pulled Harry into a quick hug then left the kitchen not wanting to see him and Steve say their good-byes. He noticed with a grin that Sarah had also made herself scarce.

In the kitchen Steve had Harry wrapped up in a tight hug, not wanting to let go. “I know you have to go, but I still don’t like it.”

“I know. I feel the same.”

“Steve! Come on punk move it or we’ll be late!” Bucky yelled from the other side of the door. Both Steve and Harry laughed.

Steve leaned down and gave Harry a quick but intense kiss. “Love you.” Turning Steve grabbed his pack and headed out the front door, leaving a stunned Harry, grinning like a mad man.

“Harry, sweetie? Are you alright?” Sarah asked concerned when she came back in a couple of minutes later to find Harry hadn’t moved. Wrapping an arm around her son’s shoulders Sarah pulled the boy close.

“He-he said he loved me. Then he left.”

Sarah laughed. “If you want, I’ll give him a smack for you when I get home tonight.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea mum.”

Smiling Sarah gently pulled Harry towards the living room. “I still have sometime before I have to leave. Let’s go sit on the couch and talk.” The pair cuddled on the small couch while Sarah told stories of Steve’s childhood and a few stories from her own. All too soon Theodore arrived to take Harry to the station.

“Da! What time is it?” Sarah looked up in panic when Theodore walked in.

“Don’t worry dove I came early to keep Hadrian company after you’ve gone to work, which I believe you need to be on your way if you don’t want to be late.”

Getting up quickly Sarah rushed to gather her things, which were thankfully already packed, a few moments later she returned and pulled Harry into a tight hug. “Sweetie you have a good term and write to me as soon as you get settled tonight. I love you so much.”

“Love you too mum. I’ll write as soon as I can promise.”

“Okay,” Sarah pulled away only to reach back to give Harry a kiss. “I'm off.”

Theodore waited until he heard the front door close and lock before allowing himself a chuckle. “It has been a long time since I’ve seen Sarah this flustered. Come, let us gather your things then go to the Way for a spot of tea.”

Harry went to retrieve his trunk and allowed Theodore to shrink it for him before they both floo’d to the Way. Wrapping an arm around the boy’s shoulders Theodore directed him to a small café, where they settled over the promised tea. Looking at his watch Harry had to laugh.

“What is so funny Hadrian?”

“The last three years I was staying with the Weasley’s for the last few weeks of holidays and it was always a mad rush to get to the platform on time. I understand that it is easier when it’s just me and not seven of us, but it’s still…I mean it amuses me.”

Theodore smiled. ‘That is true,” he paused to take a drink of his tea “I am pleased that you remember our lessons.”

Harry barely hid his grimace as he remembered his extra lessons. Theodore had insisted Harry learn how to behave properly and had come over three times a week to teach him proper etiquette. Harry was sure that he had never been hit by so many stinging hexes in his life. Steve, of course, had been no help, most times he ran off with Bucky the moment Granddad entered the house. When Steve did stay for the lessons, he spent most of it laughing.

“I know that you find the concept of pureblood etiquette tedious, but it will help you, both in school and later in your career. While there are many pureblood families, you won’t find the same prejudice here as in England. Remember, this is a new beginning for you, try to put your old pre-conceived notions aside.” Theodore waited for his words to sink in. He knew from the stories Harry had told them that the purebloods of the future were horrid towards anything and anyone who didn't fit into their perfect ideals.

Checking his watch Theodore softly sighed. “Come along Hadrian it is time to go.” Standing he waited for Hadrian to finish his tea before leading the way to the apparation point. Harry took hold of Theodore’s arm, held on tightly and squeezed his eye’s shut. When he opened them again, they were standing on a nondescript train platform. Confused Harry looked to Theodore for answers. “I know, it’s nothing like platform 9¾, however it is not possible for all the Ilvermorny students to gather at one platform. After all, there are students from all over North America attending. So, instead there are many teleportation platforms all over the country. Depending on which part of the country the student is traveling from their departure arrival time differs. Come, let us get you on the platform. Study hard but do remember to have fun as well. Write often. I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too granddad. Look after mum and Steve for me. I’ll see you at Christmas.” Harry turned and boarded the train. Finding an open area, he took a few deep breaths to settle himself. When he felt settled, he turned around to wave goodbye, only to find that Theodore had already left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the reasons behind Harry doing so well in his tests is slightly realistic. Let me know what you think.


	3. September 1 – December 27, 1935

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you reconize it then it's not mine.  
> Harry writing is in Bold, and Steve writing is in Italics, bold and italics is Sarah

Harry stood with the group of first years feeling decidedly out of place. One by one he watched the first years stand on the Gordian knot and be chosen by one of the house statues. He had been given an overview about the houses when he and Theodore had come for his testing, and they were nothing like the Hogwarts houses.

Finally, it was his turn. The headmaster stood from his spot on the balcony (and wasn’t that nerve racking to have the entire school looking down on you) and introduced Harry. “Ladies and gentlemen, this year we are blessed to welcome Hadrian Potter into our school. Mr. Potter is a transfer student from Hogwarts. Despite being fifteen, Mr. Potter will be joining the sixth years. I expect all of you to make him feel welcome.”

With a gesture from the headmaster Harry stepped onto the knot. Immediate all four statues reacted. While it had be quite before, once the statues reacted absolute silence reigned. Clearing his throat headmaster Smith stood. “Well Mr. Potter, it seems as if you have a choice to make. Which house would you like to join?”

Harry looked at all four statues, trying to remember what each stood for. ' _The Horned Serpent for scholars, the Wampus for warriors, Thunderbird takes adventurers and Pukwudgie is for healers. Honestly, I think I could go into any of them. Steve and granddad have brought out the scholar and healer in me, but which to choose?'_ “I choose-” Harry was interrupted by the Wampus roaring again. The school laughed. “Well, I guess I’ll choose Wampus.” Following the path of the other first years Harry headed for a small side room.

Looking around Harry was reminded of Ollivander’s. The walls were stacked to the ceiling with small boxes, while in the middle of the room stood a small tree growing on a large boulder. “Welcome Mr. Potter. I am surprised to see you here. I would expect a wizard of your age to already have a wand.”

“I did have one, but my uncle locks up all of my school supplies the moment I returned from school in June. I was unable bring them with me when he brought me here. My adoptive family and I decided it wasn’t worth the trip to England, and I have no desire to ever see my uncle again. Not even for my wand.”

The man nodded. “Very well. What was your old wand?”

“Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches.”

Nodding the man gestured for Harry to move closer to the tree. “We are different here at Ilvermorny. While Ollivander tries wands individually, we do not have time for that. Instead, we have the wand tree. Place your hands upon the tree and allow your magic to flow. The tree will sense your magic and pull your wand from the inventory we have here.”

Harry stared at the tree feeling unsure but figured what the hell and put his hands on the tree. Immediately he could feel its magic gently poking at his own. Releasing a small amount of his magic he felt the tree perk up. Instantly one section of the wall began to glow. “Phoenix feather.” He heard the man whisper. Slowly the glow shrank until only one box was glowing. Flicking his wand, the man summoned the box and held it out to Harry. “Birch wood, phoenix feather, nine inches. This wand is extremely loyal and will not work for anyone else, even if they win your wand from you. Take very good care of it and it will look after you.”

Harry looked down at his new wand and smiled at the feeling of completeness that over came him. He hadn’t gotten this feeling with his holly wand. Looking up from his new wand Harry noticed the man was gone and a door was now open on the other side of the room. shrugging off the oddness of it all he went through the door into a short hall which led to the Great hall.

“Hello,” next to the entrance a boy around his age was waiting. “I’m Jared Coulson. Nice to meet you.”

Harry took the offered hand. “Harry Potter, but I figure everyone already knows that.”

Jared laughed. “Very true. I’ve been asked by our head of house to show you around as we are in the same year. Our table is this way.” Harry followed the other boy to the table o the far side of the hall. “Gentlemen, this is our new dorm mate. Hadrian Potter. Hadrian, this is Devon Longbow, Daniel Smith, Gabriel Donnell and Riordan O’Conner.”

“Hello,” Harry nodded in greeting.

“Shove over Devon.” Jared poked the other boy in the shoulder making room for both him and Harry to sit down. As Harry sat the Headmaster stood and began the welcome speech, which Harry mostly tuned out in favour of looking around.

While there were many similarities the differences were striking. Mainly the lack of an enchanted ceiling. Harry was used to watching the stars while listening to Dumbledore. Yet, there was something about the plain wooden beams of the ceiling that Harry finds just as soothing. Also missing were the large hour glasses that kept track of the house points. Never mind his uniform. It was odd wearing a blue robe trimmed in red, rather than black. The food appeared magically, just like at Hogwarts and while there were several dishes that were the same, there were just as many new ones.

“So, Hadrian,” one of the boys asked. Harry thought that it was Daniel. “Are there many differences between Hogwarts and Ilvermorny?”

Harry nodded as he helped himself to roast beef and mashed potato. “The food for one,” he laughed as did the others. “At Hogwarts the ceiling is enchanted to reflect the sky. We also have four huge hour glasses filled with gems to keep track of house points. And our uniforms are all black.” Harry allowed himself a few bites of food before continuing. “We ride a train to school, all the students together. Hogwarts is also much larger.”

“Why did you transfer? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone transferring before.” Devon asked.

Harry grew silent and put down his goblet. “I had a change in guardianship and my new guardian lives in New York.”

Jared was quick to pick up on the new boy’s tone and quickly shifted topics to Quodpot and the games they had seen and played over the summer. “What about you Hadrian?” one of the boys asked. “Do you play Quodpot?”

“No. I played quidditch at Hogwarts though. I still haven’t had Quodpot explained to me.” Steve had planned on explaining the sport, but they had become distracted on dates and then after with Steve’s attack Bucky had been around. The five boys looked offended. The rest of the feast was accompanied by a lively discussion of Quodpot versus quidditch.

Harry waited for a lull in the conversation to finally ask about a thing that had been bothering him since he got his wand. “Jared,” that was another thing he was still getting used to; the damn informality of the Americans, calling everyone by their first name regardless of how close you were. “Who is the person in charge of the wands? Is he the wand maker?”

“No one knows. We all call him the Wand Maker, but no one has ever seen him outside of the tree room. America has no official wand maker. I think Canada has a few. I know the Canadian students can take their wands home over the holidays.”

“Wait! We’re not allowed to take our wands home. What if something happens?”

Jared studied Harry for a moment. “How much have you been told about Rappaport’s law?”

“I was told that it is illegal to befriend or marry muggles and that interaction with muggles is frowned upon. It’s all rather odd to me honestly.”

“Don’t you have any laws about No-Maj in England?” Jared looked honestly curious.

Harry shook his head. “I don’t know of any specific laws other than the Statute of Secrecy. I know that in England you can befriend and even marry muggles and once you are married you can tell your spouse about magic. The families of muggle-borns are told about magic as well.”

Jared sighed, “I wish it was like that here.”

“Is there a book about the law I can read? I want to know what I can't do before I go home. I’ve been lucky so far, but I would rather not accidently break the law.”

“I don’t think the library here has one, but I know my dad has one. I’ll ask him if you can borrow it.”

“Thanks Jared.”

“No problem. Come on,” gently Jared elbowed him in the ribs. “I’ll show you to our Common Room.” looking around Harry was surprised to note that the feast was done. Standing he followed Jared out of the hall. Harry paid close attention to the turns and stairs hoping that it wouldn’t take him too long to learn his way around, after all Ilvermorny was much smaller than Hogwarts.

“Here we are.” Jared stopped in front of a painting of a young man with brown hair and eyes. The boy was wearing a much older version of their uniform “Webster Boot. The password is always our house founder for the first week. It will change every two weeks after.” Smiling at them the painting swung forward to allow them entrance. Harry looked around what would be his new home for the next two years. Directly across from the door was a massive fireplace that had a large collection of comfortable looking couches and chairs. To one side was a small library with a collection of tables, clearly a study area. The other side had a collection of smaller tables meant for games.

“Come on, the head will be here soon, lets grab a seat.” Jared guided Harry to one of the couches where the other sixth year boys had gathered. The first years, Harry noticed were sitting on a plush looking carpet in front of the fireplace along with the second and third years.

Beside the fireplace a door opened, and a witch entered the common. She was very pretty, Harry noticed. Her ash brown hair hung in waves ending just below her shoulders. Her robes were the height of fashion and brought out the blue of her eyes. Harry instantly noticed a likeness with Jared.

“Welcome to Wampus house. Here we are a family. I am your head of house Lynnette Coulson; I teach runes and warding. My office is through this door and while I will be available if you ever need me my office hours will be posted on the message board. The fourth years will be escorting the first years to their class for the first two weeks to make sure you learn your way around the school. By the end of the month a sign-up sheet will be posted for tutoring. Those of you who feel up to becoming a tutor may let me know and we will have a meeting. If you find yourself in need of tutoring, then you put your name on the sheet for the subjects you require help in. Starting next week, I will be holding meetings with each of you. For now, I suggest you all retire for the night, tomorrow classes start, and you all want to be well rested.”

Harry waited until their head had left before turning to Jared, trying to hide his grin. “So, your mom’s a professor?”

Jared groaned. “Yes. Both my parents are. Dad teaches dueling and law. It’s nice, but it’s also really irritating, especially with mom as our head. I can't get away with anything, and when I do get caught it’s double the punishments.” Harry couldn’t help himself, he laughed. Smiling Jared shoved the smaller boy. “Come on I’ll show you our dorm.” Still laughing Harry stood and followed Jared up a set of stairs to the sixth landing. Entering the room Harry was shocked. He had been expecting something like the Gryffindor dorms, instead it was a smaller version of the common room downstairs.

“We each share a double room and bath.” Jared gestured to the four doors, two on each wall. “There is a joint bathroom we share with the seventh years. It has a large tub for when you want to soak. I’ll show you the booking sheet for that later. This is our room.” Jared opened one of the doors on the left. The room reminded Harry of a collage dorm he had seen on tv once. Each side of the room had a bed, nightstand, wardrobe, desk, chair and a small bookcase. There was even a small fireplace between the beds.

“The bathroom is through the lighter door.” Jared motioned to the pair of doors behind them. Just as he said one door was much lighter than the other. Smiling Jared opened the darker door to reveal the common. “It can be fairly confusion, especially first thing in the morning.”

“I’ll bet.” Harry laughed while promising himself to always triple check which door he was opening.

“If It’s all right with you I'm going to shower then catch up on some reading.”

Harry nodded. “That’s fine. I prefer to shower in the morning. I think I’ll write some letters. Oh, I forgot. Where is the owlery and are there any rules about using school owls?”

Jared looked up from where he was unpacking his trunk. “The owlery is a separate building across the grounds. If you need an owl, open the window and whistle. It may take a few minutes, but an owl will come. As for rules, there aren’t many. Just respect the owls and try not to send them on unnecessary long trips. Ah ha! Found it!” Jared stood triumphant with a small bag in his hand. “Right,” he gathered up a larger bag and his pajamas. “I'm off.”

Harry waited until the bathroom door closed behind Jared before pulling out his writing box, a wonderful gift from granddad, and began writing letters to his mum, granddad and Bucky. He wanted those sent off before taking out his journal and writing to Steve. After sealing each letter into their own envelopes, he put all three into a larger one with his mum’s name on it, opened the window and whistled. Sure enough a few moments later a brown owl appeared. Reaching out Harry gave the owl a scratch before handing over the envelope. “Take this to Sarah Rogers in Brooklyn, New York please. You may be asked to wait for a reply. Thank you.”

“You really like owls, don’t you?” Jared asked as he settled on his bed.

Harry nodded sadly. “I had one before in England. My uncle killed her before we came here. I still really miss Hedwig.” Jared nodded in understanding, letting the matter drop. Grabbing his pajamas and bathroom kit Harry headed into the loo to change and perform his nightly rituals. Leaving his things in the bathroom and the cloths in the hamper Harry gathered his journal and pen before settling into bed. Excited Harry opened the book and began writing.

**Steve?**

_Harry! Is it crazy that I miss you already?_

**Only if that means I'm crazy too. I don’t know how I'm going to sleep tonight without you beside me.**

_I know the feeling. I can't wait till Christmas._

**Me either**

_So? Which house did you get into? what was the sorting like? What –_

**Steve! Relax. You don’t want to start hyperventilating. Mum would kill us both. The sorting was…interesting. The rest of the school watches from a balcony above while you stand on a gordian knot and wait for one of the four house statues to react. The Horned Serpent has a crystal that lights up, the Thunderbird beats its wings. The Pukwudgie raises its arrow and the Wampus roars. All four reacted to me. I have a feeling that’s not something that happens often. While I was trying to decide the Wampus roared again so I went into Wampus house.**

_That sounds horrible, having the whole school staring down at you. I don’t think I would ever want to have that many people staring at me waiting for something to happen_.

**It felt like I was back in England.**

_It’s over now though and you won’t have to do it again._

**That’s true, thank Merlin. How was your first day?**

_Same as always, though Buck somehow managed to stay out of trouble and I didn't get into any fights._

**I'm impressed.**

_Fuck you Harry._

“What is so funny Hadrian?” Jared looked up from his book confused.

“Sorry Jared. I'm just talking with my boyfriend.” Harry held up the journal to show his roommate.

“You have a two-way journal?”

“Yes? There was a whole pile when I picked up my notebooks.”

“Oh, I saw them. I just didn't think anyone’s parents would let them spend that much on a pair of journals.”

“Are they really that expensive? I didn't realize.” Harry startled when he felt the journal vibrate. Looking down he saw a few messages from Steve.

**Sorry Steve. I was apologizing to my roommate.**

_That’s okay Harry. I was a little worried when you just stopped writing. Who’s your roommate?_

**Jared Coulson. He seems nice. Both his parents are professors here, his mom is our head of house.**

_That’s never fun. Sure, makes staying out **HADRAIN JAMESON POTTER WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THIS LATE? IT IS A SCHOOL NIGHT! GET TO BED IMMEDIATELY! I’m glad you and Steve can talk like this sweetie, but you cannot stay up this late on a school night. You boys have two minutes to say good night or I am confiscating this journal for a week. Sleep well sweetie. I love you.**_

_Sorry Harry, Ma must have seen my light on._

**That’s alright Steve. You better go before mum really gets mad. Love you. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Not waiting for a response Harry shut the journal and settled in for the night. Mum was right tomorrow was a big day after all.**

~*~*~

The months passed by in a flash. Harry and Steve wrote in the journal every day, though it wasn’t often they were able to talk at the same time. Classes were just challenging enough for Harry to keep his interest but without making him doubt his choices in classes. Though there had been a few times when he would wait for Steve so that the older boy could help him with an assignment.

Harry and Jared became close friends. Jared helped Harry in adjusting to American wizarding society. Harry helped Jared pull several pranks without being caught. They even were able to send Bucky a toilet seat in honor of Fred and George. Thankfully Harry had the foresight to put a note on the package telling Bucky to open it away from adults. Bucky promised in his return letter that he would hang it on his wall when he moved out.

Pranks and studying aside, Harry spent time with the other sixth year boys. (It was a little odd to him that they never spent time with the girls, but Jared explained that after fourth year they were not supposed to be together unless they were courting. Figuring it was a 1930’s thing Harry let it drop.) The other boys were determined to make him a better chess player. They had gone so far as to create a schedule of games for Harry to both play and watch.

Jared helped by suggesting books on military strategy for Harry to read. Steve had admitted an interest in the subject, so Harry owl ordered the books. He had half sent to Steve so they could discuss different ideas before switching books.

Before he knew it, Harry was waiting with the others from New York at the teleportation pad heading home for Christmas. As he stood there waiting for their turn Harry found himself shaking with nerves. Beside him noticed and placed a hand on the other boy’s shoulder. “Harry, are you alright?”

“I'm just worried. Steve hasn’t written since Armistice Day (November 11) and in every letter mum and Buck say he’s fine and not to worry. I just want to get home and make sure he’s alright with my own eyes.”

“I understand. If you need some time away to vent or to calm down floo me.” Jared handed Harry a small piece of paper with an address written on it. “We’re spending yule with my grandparents this year, so I’ll be in New York. We should meet up in the Way some time. If he’s feeling up to it, you should bring your imaginary boyfriend.”

Harry accepted the paper then smacked his friend’s shoulder. “Sod off Jared. Steve is real, no matter what you think.”

“Sure.” Jared’s voice was dripping with doubt. Harry was spared from answering by the transporter activating. Further debate was prevented by Jared’s sister Abigail pulling him away leaving a laughing Harry to look for his granddad.

“Hadrian.” Theodore came up to his younger grandson, glad to see the boy after three months away.

“Granddad.” Harry wanted to throw himself into the older man’s arms, but he held back the urge remembering his lessons.

“Come.” Lord Grant put his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Let us go home. Everyone is waiting for you.” He then apparated them to a near-by alley so they could walk the remaining two blocks.

“Harry!” getting up from where he was sitting and waiting Bucky rushed forward to greet the irritating brat.

“Bucky!” Harry dropped his bag to embrace his brother.

“You’ve been missed Brat.”

“But not by you, right you prat.”

“Exactly.” Laughing Bucky picked up Harry’s bag and wrapping an arm around his shoulders led Harry to the house behind Theodore.

“How’s Steve?” Harry whispered.

Bucky sighed. “He’s doing better, but it was a pretty bad attack. He’s been stuck in bed for five weeks. Your Ma says he should be up and about for Christmas. He was out of it for the first few weeks. I’ll admit it was terrifying seeing him like that. He’s okay now though.”

Harry felt cold. “Why didn't anyone tell me?”

“I told you he was sick. I couldn’t tell you how bad because I didn't know. You know I would have told you if I’d known.”

“I know Buck. I didn’t mean you. I've just been so worried.”

“Well, get your ass in there and see him. I’ll be by later. Go.” Bucky gave Harry a gentle shove, which was all the other boy needed to go running up the stairs into his apartment.

“Hadrian sweetie. Oh, I missed you.” Harry hadn’t even gotten through the door when Sarah pulled him into a hug.

“I missed you too mum.” Enjoying the comfort, but needing to see Steve, Harry gently pulled away and made a beeline for their room, only to freeze in the doorway. In August he had though Steve couldn’t have ever looked worse; he had been so very wrong. The only colour Steve had, were the dark bruise-like bags under his eyes.

The room looked similar to when Harry first arrived, only all the pillows and blankets were piled up on the bed cocooning Steve. Despite the layers covering him Harry could tell that Steve had lost a lot of weight. Harry must have made a noise because Steve shifted and opened his eyes. “Harry,” he croaked out. “You’re home.” Needing the other boy close Steve held out a shaky hand which Harry rushed to take. As gently as he could Harry settled on the bed.

“H-how...what happ…Steve.” Overcome with worry and relief Harry collapsed beside Steve, while still trying to be gentle.

“I’m okay Harry. I still tire easily and I'm feeling a little weak, but Ma and Granddad both say I should be my old self by Yule.” It took some effort, but Steve reached over with his other hand to run his fingers through Harry’s hair.

“I was so scared. You stopped writing and mum and granddad’s letters were all very short. Only Bucky told me you were sick, only he didn't know how bad. I was afraid that I might lose you. I-I felt things…my chest would hurt sometimes, and I would have a hard time breathing. There were a few times I nearly collapsed. Every time the nurse said I was fine. I'm sure she figured I was faking.”

“Oh, Mo grá, come here.” Steve used what little energy he had to tug on Harry’s hand until the younger boy was leaning partially on Steve, wrapping his arms around him Steve sighed. “I will never leave you. I don’t care what it takes or how long I will always come back to you.” Leaning down he kissed Harry’s head, letting him cry.

When Sarah went to get Harry for lunch, she found both boys sleeping and after seeing the tear tracks on her younger son’s face she decided to leave them be. Returning to the kitchen she poured herself another cup of tea. “They’re both sleeping,” she told her father without looking up from her cup. “Hadrian has been crying. I think we should have told him more. He clearly worried too much. Next time we should tell him regardless of how bad Steve is.”

Theodore took a large drink of his tea. “Healer Michalski and Lynnette Coulson wrote to me concerned about Hadrian. Apparently, he collapsed on Armistice Day and in the weeks following had difficulty breathing, chest pains along with two other fainting spells. Neither nurse McArthur nor Healer Michalski were able to find a cause. They both believe that Hadrian was acting out. I went to Gringotts and spoke with Stonehammer. Fortunately, he still had both Steven and Hadrian’s original self-updating inheritance tests. They are soul bonded husbands. Hadrian felt what Steven was going through as his own pain.”

Sarah sighed as she tried to pour more tea out of the empty pot. Getting up she stoked the fire in the stove and put the kettle on. “I’ll let them sleep for another hour or two. I'm sure James will be back by then. We can tell them after dinner.”

Standing, Theodore nodded. “I shall return home and write a letter to Healer Michalski and Lynnette Coulson explaining things. You need to take things easy. Rest while the boys are sleeping.” Kissing his daughter on the head Theodore left through the front door. Moving the kettle off the stove Sarah decided to take her father’s suggestion and went to lay down.

After dinner, which Bucky and Harry helped Steve to and from, and once James had gone home Theodore and Sarah sat down with the boys to explain things. Steve had pulled Harry close when the adults joined them as he could feel the boy’s worry as his own. “Are we in trouble?” Steve asked looking between his Ma and Granddad.

“No, Steven no one is in trouble.” Theodore was quick to reassure the boys. “Healer Michalski and Lynnette Coulson wrote to me a couple days ago. They were both concerned about Hadrian’s health in the last five weeks. When I thought about the dates and what Hadrian was going though made me think. I went to see Stonehammer and had a second look at your inheritance tests. You remember how you both had an undefined soul connection?” he waited for both boys to nod before giving them a hint. “The inheritance tests you did were self-updating ones.”

“Our soul-bound has become defined, hasn’t it?” Steve asked. Both he and Harry had perked up and looked hopeful. Sarah laughed at her boys.

“It has. Hadrian has also had another soul bond come into fruition. It seems that there is something about James Barns that makes him a good soul bonded brother to both of my grandsons.” Theodore laughed.

“You two, however have become soul bounded husbands. While this is a wonderful connection that should and will be celebrated there are adverse effects to it as well. You will be able to feel each other’s emotions when you are near each other, it is unlikely that when you are apart you will feel anything besides very strong emotions. This includes being able to tell if the other is in distress. Hadrian this is something you need to be aware of. I will be writing to your head of house along with the school’s healer to let them know about your connection. Next time Steven has an attack you will feel it like you did this time. One of the major side effects is if one dies then the other will follow quickly. The only times when one half of a soul bounded pair dies, and the other does not is when there are children involved or when the remaining pair is in the middle of a life altering quest.”

The boys stared at their grandfather in shock. Harry looked up at Steve, but upon seeing Steve's look of confusion he looked to his mum hoping for some clarification. Scooting forward Sarah took both of her boy’s hands in her own. “Right now, this means nothing. You two need to focus on your schooling, going on your dates and staying out of trouble. Later, in life, much later, then you can focus on the bond and what it means. We just wanted you both to know of its existence so that you can be cautious and understand what can happen.”

Getting up she kissed both boys. “You are both to spend the days until Yule in bed. I will have your meals prepared and in the ice box for when I am at work and your granddad can't be here. Harry you will be allowed up only to heat and retrieve your meals, only because I do not trust James around my stove.” Harry and Steve laughed. They had watched both their own mum and Mrs. Barnes try to teach James (and Steve) how to cook a few basic meals and all the lessons had been a failure. “Get some sleep. You both need the rest. I’ll come and check on you both later. I love you both.”

Theodore watched his daughter leave. “Your Mother is correct. Do not let the bond take over your minds, yet do not forget that it exists. Rest and reconnect. I shall be by tomorrow to check on you both and to make sure you take your potions Steven. Rest well.” Getting up from the bed Theodore gave each boy’s shoulder a squeeze then left the room.

When the door shut behind his granddad Steve leaned over and kissed Harry with all his non existent energy. Pulling away all too soon for his liking Steve stared down into Harry’s shining eyes and wished not for the first time he could see what colour they were. “This proves it. We were meant to be together. This is why you ended up traveling through time. So, we could be together. I am never letting you go now.”

Harry couldn’t find the words to agree with Steve’s statement, so he simply reached up to cup Steve's face with one hand and gently kiss him, putting all his love into that kiss. Pulling away from the kiss Harry rubbed his thumb under Steve’s eye. Taking Harry’s hand in his own Steve kissed the other’s palm. No words were said, they did not need to be said. As one they moved down into the bed and fell asleep tangled in each other’s arms content in the knowledge of their bond.

~*~*~

Harry woke Christmas morning to a warm wet suction on his cock. Opening his eyes, he looked down to find Steve sprawled across the bottom of the bed fully focused on his task. Reaching down Harry tangled his fingers in Steve’s hair. Moaning at the slight tugging Steve doubled his efforts and had Harry coming down his throat a few minutes later.

Crawling up the bed he looked like the cat who caught the canary. “Merry Christmas Mo grá.”

Smiling at his boyfriend Harry pulled in for a kiss, tasting himself on Steve’s tongue. “Happy Christmas love.” The pair lay tangled in a mess of limbs until they heard movement in the hall. Sighing Harry pulled away untangling himself from Steve. “Mum’s up. We should get moving before she decides to come and get us.”

Groaning Steve followed Harry’s lead and got out of bed. “If Ma’s up granddad will be here soon. Bucky said he would stop by after breakfast as well.”

Once they were dressed the pair made their way to the kitchen where both adults were waiting for them. “Happy Christmas boys.” Theodore raised his teacup in a toast from where he sat. Normally he would have gotten up to hug his grandsons, but it was far safer to remain seated. Around the kitchen Sarah moved like a hummingbird, fluttering from one point to another.

“Happy Christmas Granddad.” Carefully Steve made his way to the table, avoiding his Ma other than to give her a quick peck on the cheek as she passed him by. Harry, meanwhile had somehow fitted himself into Sarah’s chaos perfectly. Steve wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not and shared a small look of horror with his granddad.

With two cooks, breakfast did not take long and was quickly on the table. With the festive mood and the excitement for presents it took even less time for breakfast to be finished. Theodore was quick to stand and made Steve help him in cleaning the breakfast dishes. Steve was anxious for Harry to open his gift, so he didn't argue with his granddad. Together they got the kitchen spotless in record time.

“I’m impressed honey. You usually don’t clean that well without complaint.” Sarah teased as she took another sip of her tea. Across the table from her Harry was trying to hide his own laugher behind his cup. Steve just glared at them both.

“Knock, knock.” Bucky’s voice carried from the front door.

“Perfect timing Buck.” Steve put down the towel he was using to dry the dishes and headed to great his friend. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas Stevie. Harry. Mr. Grant, Mrs. Rogers. Ma sent you some of her Christmas baking.” Bucky held out a large box that smelled amazing and had Steve and Harry drooling.

“Oh, thank your mother for me James. I do love her baking.” Steve and Harry were both drooling at the prospect of Margret Barnes’ baking. “I don’t think so young man.” Sarah smacked Harry’s hand as he reached to take a cookie. “You can have some after lunch. Now let us all sit down around the tree and we can open presents.” Turning she took the box of baking into the kitchen leaving the boys to head into the living room. Steve and Harry sat on the floor, cuddled in front of the fireplace. Across from them Bucky made himself comfortable on the single chair, leaving the couch for Sarah and Theodore.

After hiding the cookies Sarah made another pot of tea and carried the tea set into the living room. Slowly she served everyone their tea, enjoying making everyone wait to open their presents. “Stevie, why don’t you hand out the presents.” Putting his cup down Steve got up and quickly passed out all the presents, then cuddled back up with Harry.

Harry watched his family open their presents feeling contented. “Oh Harry!” Sarah exclaimed when she opened her present from Harry. Pulling it out of the box Sarah proudly showed off the beautiful green and red bird in a golden cage. Getting up Harry gently took the bird cage from his mum and showed her the key on the bottom of the cage. Twisting it all the way around when he let it go Benny Goodman’s 'Moon Glow' began playing. “I love it. Thank you so much Harry.”

“I'm glad you like it.”

“Why don’t you open your gifts Harry.” Sarah hugged her son then pushed him back to his spot on the floor beside Steve and his pile of unopen presents.

Steve and Bucky meanwhile had opened their presents and pounced on Harry the moment Sarah let go of him. “How did you afford all this Harry? It’s been ages since I've had a nice drawing pad and pencils.” Steve gushed, giving Harry a one-armed hug.

“I could ask you the same thing James Barnes.” Sarah lightly scolded from the couch having opened her gift from him. “Fred Astaire’s Dancing Cheek to Cheek. James.”

“I’ve been saving for quite a while Mrs. Rogers. I bought your gift back in June. I was told it would be easier to buy one Christmas and birthday present per paycheque.”

“Well, I suppose if that is how you intend to shop from now on, I suppose getting more expensive gifts is alright. We’ll have to listen to them all after lunch. What did you boys get?”

“I got Ray Nobel’s 'Let’s Swing It'.” Steve smiled “Harry?”

“'Sing Sing Sing' by Benny Goodman. Thanks’ Buck.”

“No problem. Thank you for all the amazing art supplies.

“Hadrian I must agree with the others. These gifts are wonderful. I must wonder where you found such magnificent cuff links. I have been searching for ones like these for many years.”

Harry blushed and lowered his head. “I made those actually. Same with the bird. I had to buy the music making…thing.”

“It truly is a wonder sweetie. But you boys haven’t opened your gifts from myself and your granddad.”

The three boys picked up their identical boxes and opened them together. Each box contained a fountain pen with matching pencil. “Those are Eversharp pens. There are refills in the boxes as well.”

“Mr. Grant, sir…” Bucky stared at the pen set in shock and disbelief. “This is way too much. I’ve seen the adds these are nearly five dollars.”

“It’s alright James. I have some old family money put away that I like to use for gifts every now again. I would very much like it if you boys were to use those pens and pencils to better yourselves. Study hard in your passions and you will become amazing men and change the world.”

“Now, you boys clean up and I will go and start on lunch.” Sarah stood, gathered up the tea set and headed into the kitchen. Theodore gathered his and Sarah’s gifts, putting them in Sarah’s room then joined his daughter in the kitchen.

In the living room the three boys were cleaning as quickly as they could. Harry was gathering up their gifts, taking his and Steve’s to their room while leaving Bucky’s in a pile on the coffee table. When Harry left Steve and Bucky made short work of picking up the wrapping and boxes then throwing them into the waste pile. Together the boys made their way to the kitchen following their noses.

That Christmas lunch was the best one Harry had ever had. Looking around the table Harry smiled and felt full of love and contentment. Here in the past he was surrounded by family that loved and accepted him for who he was instead of the scar on his head. He had found a mum that love and cared about him the same way as she loved and cared about her own son. A granddad who took him in and taught him everything he needed to know about his title and his place in the wizarding world. In Bucky, Harry now had an overprotective older brother who may not know about magic but accepted all the odd things that still happened around Harry.

Best of all Harry had found his other half. Steve was everything Harry could have wanted, without even knowing it. Being sent to the past had to be the best thing that could ever had happened to him. Harry swore with a laugh that when he made it back to the nineties, even though he would be very old, he would find Voldemort and thank him. Maybe he would even send the man some flowers. That thought sent him over the edge and he burst out laughing.

“Every think alright Harry?” Sarah asked with concern. While it was normal for Steve or James to randomly start laughing it was not as normal for Harry to be.

“Perfect mum. Everything is absolutely perfect.”

~*~*~*~

Harry looked around the Way searching for his friend. Beside him Steve was taking a moment to catch his breath and regain his balance. Even though their grandad had Mist take them to the Way it still took a bit out a person, and Steve was still recovering. Spotting Jared Harry waved them over, not wanting to move Steve before he was ready.

Jared had sent a letter on Boxing Day inviting Harry and Steve to meet up at the Way the next day. After getting permission Harry had written back agreeing to the meet up and telling Jared a bit about Steve’s recent illness. A quick fire-call to confirm all the details (it was so much easier than having to write tens of letter and tiring out Jared’s poor owl) Harry apologized and told Jared that due to Steve still recovering they couldn’t spend the whole day shopping.

“Sweet Isolt he really does exist!” Jared exclaimed when he saw Steve standing with Harry.

“Fuck you Jared.” Harry flipped Jared the two-finger salute. “Steve, this loud-mouth arsehole is my roommate Jared Coulson. Jared, this is my boyfriend Steve Rogers.”

“Jared, nice to meet you.” Steve held out his hand. “Harry has told me quite a bit about you.”

“Likewise, Steve.” Jared smiled as he shook Steve’s hand. “To be honest though, I was sure he was lying about you.”

Laughing Steve wrapped his now free hand around Harry’s waist. “I know. My friend Bucky and I were having a great time reading about it in Harry’s letters. Bucky especially found it amusing. He decided to start introducing me as his imaginary friend to people.”

Harry almost fell over he was laughing so hard. “Oh, Merlin. Why didn't you tell me? I can just picture it. You two walking into a store and him being ‘Hi I'm James, this is my imaginary friend Steve’.”

“Well, that’s what we’re going to do for the rest of the day. I’ll pretend I can't see Steve and will keep conversations with him minimal in public. It’ll be great! I'm pretty sure that Devon, Gabe and Rio are all going to be here today.”

“I'm up for it. It should prove interesting.” Steve’s eyes had gleam of mischief in them and Harry could only shake his head. Merlin help them if they lived long enough for Steve, Jared and Bucky to meet the twins. Holding his hands up in surrender Harry decided it was better to go along with them. Though _,_ Harry had to admit if only to himself that it would be highly entertaining.

Taking Steve’s hand Harry followed Jared down the Way. The three talked quietly together as they made their way to the broom shop. Harry kept up conversation between both boys and himself, Steve acted completely normal while Jared completely ignored Steve, going so far as to look right through him Internally Harry was laughing as he took in the looks of the people around them, everyone seemed to be wondering what was going on between Steve and Jared.

Things came to a head when they met up with Rio, Gabe and Devon outside the bookstore. “Hey guys.” Harry smiled as they made their way to the other group, he decided not to introduce Steve right away; see how the others reacted first. “How was your Christmas?”

“It was alright,” Rio said. “Really stuffy as always.”

Gabe was nodding beside his friend. “Yeah mine too. The entire family was there including all four of my grandparents which led to a ton of arguments.”

Devon was chuckling a little. “Sucks to be in a large pureblood family sometimes. I had a quiet one. The family can't get together until the new year so my crazy will be next year. What about you…three? Who’s this?”

Jared looked around in confusion. “Three? What are you talking about Devon?”

Beside him Harry was biting his tongue to keep from laughing. “This is my boyfriend, Steve. It’s his family that took me in.” Jared was shaking his head mouthing ‘imaginary boyfriend. He’s nuts.’ Devon, Gabe and Rio looked horribly confused. It certainly didn't help that Steve had a goofy smile on his face and was waving at them. “Why don’t we go get an ice cream or something?” Harry suggested wanting to get everyone moving and change the conversation.

It only took the suggestion of ice cream to get the others moving. “Jared, where’s this sister I keep hearing about?” Steve asked as he wrapped his arm around Harry’s shoulders. Jared just ignored him, continuing his conversation with Devon.

“Where’s Abby?” Harry asked, trying to keep a straight face. He was sure that between Steve and Jared he was going to end up biting through his tongue from trying not to laugh. He was sure it was only going to get worse when he introduced Bucky and Jared.

“She wanted to come, but one of her friends called and she decided to go and spend time with them instead of putting up with us.”

“Well, I don’t blame her for not wanting to hang out with you.” Steve said with a surprising straight face. Devon wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. On one hand he did think the comment was funny while on the other Jared was sure the person who said the comment was a figment of Harry’s imagination. Harry snickered; this was too fun.

After getting their ice cream the six boys strolled up the Way, mostly window shopping. “Harry, can I have a second? I want your opinion on a gift for my mom,” Jared motioned to one of the stores. Nodding Harry followed with Steve in tow. As soon as the door closed behind them the three burst into laughter.

“Oh Merlin! This is too funny. I wonder how long we can keep this up.” Steve leaned against the doorframe trying to hold himself up.

“Alright, so bets on who will cave first and start ignoring Steve.” Jared reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple Dragots. “I’ve got two on Rio.”

Straightening Steve also checked his pockets. “Three on Gabe.” Both boys then looked at Harry expectantly who sighed and checked his pockets. “Three on Devon with an extra two if he starts before we hit the bookstore.”

Nodding their heads, the others accepted the bet. After showing Harry an item, he was thinking about getting his mom for her birthday the three left the store and rejoined the others. It didn't take long before Steve and Jared noticed that Devon was refusing to look at Steve and ignoring his comments. Cursing Jared pulled out five Dragots and handed them to Harry. “I hate you.”

Laughing Harry put the money in his pocket. “Awe love you too Jay-bird. But if it makes you feel better, we’re probably going to head home soon. Mum will get upset if we’re out too long, especially with Steve still recovering.”

Rolling his eyes Jared nodded. “Fine, leave me alone with these three idiots. I’ll see you at school.”

With a jaunty wave Harry called for Mist to take them home. “Oh, that was great.” Steve had to stop and take a few deep breaths before he passed out. Harry was quick to notice and stood next to his boyfriend giving him quiet support. When Steve was sure he could breathe properly he took Harry’s hand and made his way to the kitchen where his Ma was waiting.

“Hello boys. Did you have a good time?” Sarah’s comment immediately started the boys laughing again. Looking at her son’s with confusion before shaking her head and going to make tea. “Clearly I missed something.”

“Sorry mum. It's just something Jared and Steve decided to do to our friends.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing like that promise Ma.” Steve and Harry both held up their hands clearly hearing the threat in their mother’s voice.

“It’s kind of Bucky’s fault actually. I told Steve and Buck about Jared calling Steve my imaginary boyfriend and apparently Bucky’s been going around introducing Steve as his imaginary friend. When Steve told Jared about it, he decided to do it as well. He ignored Steve the entire time Devon, Gabe and Rio were with us. He even convinced Devon that Steve is my imaginary boyfriend. They want to see how long we can keep it up for.”

Sarah rubbed her eyes in exasperation and fondness. “Well, as long as no one gets hurt. Now, Steve you set the table and Harry come help me make dinner. I want to make the most of our last week together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mo grá is Irish Galic for My Love.  
> I had Steve and Harry's writing done in different fonts, but I can't figure out the skin thing so...  
> Hope you all liked this chapter and I'll see you all next week


	4. Chapter 4: July 4, 1937 - June 14, 1943

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Cannon Character Death*** thought I changed the year in which the character dies 
> 
> Lots of writing in the journal between Steve and Harry, Steve is in Italics while Harry is in Bold.

Time flies when you're having fun, no matter what decade you’re in. Suddenly Harry, Steve and Bucky found themselves graduating. Harry had been given permission to miss school for a weekend in order to attend Steve and Bucky’s graduation ceremony the last week of May 1936. Unfortunately, Bucky was not allowed to attend Harry’s; Steve, Sarah and Theodore, however, were there to see Harry be given his wand permit in June 1937. In typical Grant fashion Sarah cooked up a feast the night Harry returned home, and the three boys had a camp out in the living room.

Steve woke the morning of his nineteenth birthday in the same manner Harry woke his first Christmas in the past. Moaning he reached down to tug on Harry’s hair until the younger boy lifted off Steve’s cock with a wet pop. Smiling Harry moved up Steve’s body until their lips met. Grabbing Harry’s arms Steve flipped them and began rubbing their matching hardness together. Gasping at the feeling of Steve's cock against his own Harry dug his fingers into Steve’s back. Feeling the bite of Harry’s nails pushed Steve over the edge with Harry following right behind. It had taken them a few tries (and fails) but they had finally learned how to enjoy each other without nearly killing Steve.

“Happy Birthday lover.”

KNOCK! KNOCK!

“Boy’s it’s time to get up. I have to leave for work in twenty minutes, so you better be up and in the kitchen in two.” Sarah called through the door.

Laughing Harry rested his forehead on Steve’s chest. “Well I guess we better get moving. I know Bucky and Jared want to go out as well.” Getting up and dressed the they made their way to the kitchen.

“Oh, good. I was worried for a moment that your bed ate you.”

“No, Ma. Just enjoying a lay-in on my birthday.”

Sarah gave him a look that told him exactly what she thought of that. “I'm sure you were Steven. Now, eat your breakfast before the four of you go rampaging across the city.” Setting plates down in front of her boys Sarah noticed an owl patiently waiting at the open window. “Hello there. Who do you have a letter for?” offering the owl treat she took the letter and looked it over. “Harry, it’s for you.”

“Thanks mum.” Harry took the letter and glanced at the seal, not recognizing the handwriting. “I'm just going to run and freshen up quick.” Taking his letter Harry left the kitchen and went into his and Steve’s room. He had a feeling that the letter was about his application into the auror training program. Taking a deep breath Harry ripped the envelope open and quickly glanced at the letter. _I got in. Holy shit, I'm gonna be an auror. I’ll tell mum and Steve tomorrow._ Putting the letter in his trunk Harry rushed back to the kitchen just in time to say goodbye to Sarah as she passed Bucky and Jared out through the door.

The letter was forgotten about until the boys returned home for dinner. “Harry,” Steve pulled his boyfriend down with him onto the couch, joining Bucky and Jared in the living room. “I know that whatever was in the letter you got morning is important, and I know you’re not telling us because you don’t want to take away from my birthday. So, as my birthday present, I demand to know what the letter said.”

Harry gently punched Steve in the arm. “You’re a pillock you know that. Fine. It was an acceptance letter for the program I applied to.”

“That military training thing you were telling us about. Isn’t that like West Point?” Bucky asked from his spot on the floor, looking rather concerned for his brother.

“Yeah, like West Point, but it’s a smaller, more specialized school. I got a scholarship to attend.”

“You got in too?” Jared looked excited as he pushes Bucky over. “Hopefully we can be roommates again.”

“Oh, great. I have to deal with you again Plonker.” Harry dodged the pillow Jared threw at him.

“Wait; you’re in the same school Brodie?” Bucky wasn’t sure what to think. He had been hoping since that school was done, they would all get a job then look for a larger apartment that they could live in together. Now two of his brothers were leaving to go to some fancy military school.

“Don’t worry Bucky. We still have the rest of the summer together. School doesn’t start till September. I'm sure the four of us can get into enough trouble to last a while.”

“Please try to make sure that whatever trouble you four get into that it doesn’t land you in the hospital or in jail.” Sarah commented from the doorway looking amused. “So, sweetie I hear that you and Jared have been accepted into the program.”

“Yes, mum. We start in September.”

“Don’t forget to tell your granddad. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. James, Jared I already let your mothers know that you were staying.” Gathering around the kitchen table Sarah passed Steve and James each an envelope. “James, your mother wanted me to give you this. It looks like Harry and Jared are not the only ones going back to school in September.”

Seeing the crest in the corner Steve ripped open the envelope feeling excited. Reading over the letter Steve smiled. “Yes! Auburndale Art School liked my portfolio and has accepted me. What about you Bucky?”

“I got in too. Though it’s going to be difficult to pay for all this on top of rent.” Bucky had moved out after graduating to give his sisters more room. Not that he had gone very far, his mother would have thrown a fit if he left the neighbourhood. The four all looked around feeling uncomfortable.

“Well,” Harry looked over Steve’s list. “I guess we’ll have to make trouble after we all get jobs.”

Steve looked up sharply. “Harry!”

“What? I have a few months free before I start, and my schooling is on scholarship. I’ll get a job and help you both pay for it and I'm not going to take no for an answer.”

“I'm in. Should prove fun.” Jared smiled. He was more than willing to help these men whom he come to think of as brothers.

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Bucky asked. It touched him that Harry and Jared were willing to get jobs just of help him and Steve pay for art school, but at the same time he didn't like taking charity.

“No.” the other three all answered at the same time. After a moment the four boys began laughing.

~*~

Having jobs certainty cut into their free time for getting into trouble. It made Sarah happy, they were getting into fewer fights and Steve hadn’t had a major attack. It also made it difficult for her boys to notice that she had gotten sick. It was nice in a way. She knew that she was now on borrowed time, but she didn't want her boys to worry and hover.

Unfortunately, things don’t always work the way you want them to. A week after Steve and James had paid their school fees, guaranteeing them a spot, Sarah didn't come home from work. “Did she say anything to you this morning?” Steve asked after he and Harry had checked the house twice.

“No, she never said anything to me. Mist!”

“What can Mist be doing for young masters?”

“Did Mum go to visit granddad today?”

“No Young Master. Mistress is not visiting Master and she bes saying nothing to Mist.”

“Okay, thank you Mist. We should go and check the hospital, maybe she picked up another shift but didn't have time to tell us.”

“Right. I'm going to run over and tell Bucky and his Ma in case they start worrying. Maybe pack a change of clothes. Ma could probably use fresh ones if she’s started a second shift.” Not waiting for a response Steve raced out of the house as fast as he could. It took Harry a moment to collect his thoughts then he was racing to his mum’s room to collect a change of clothes.

Harry met Steve and Bucky outside the apartment and together the three boys raced to the hospital. Ignoring everything else they made their way to the nurses’ station Sarah normally worked at. The nurse at the desk was one they knew quite well and immediately she ushered them to the side. “I think you boys need to sit down.”

“Miss MacNeil what’s going on? Where’s our Mum?” Harry sat down in the middle, holding both Steve’s and Bucky’s hands. He liked Nurse MacNeil. She was only a few years older than Bucky and was always bright and cheerful. Noticing that she seemed sad and depressed worried Harry.

“She’s sick sweetie. She was doing rounds in the tuberculosis ward last month, and today she collapsed while doing her rounds. Doctor Allan has admitted her. She has TB. It…it doesn’t look good. I'm sorry.”

Harry felt numb and cold. He could feel Steve’s hand shaking in his own. This couldn’t be happening. He finally had a mum and now he was losing her not two years later.

“Can we see her?” Bucky asked. He could see that neither Harry nor Steve were holding up well, but also knew that they would want to see her at least once.

“Of course. Follow me.”

Bucky helped Steve and Harry stand and guided them to follow nurse MacNeil, following behind in case he needed to guide or catch one of them. Thankfully they made it to Sarah’s ward without any issues. Harry was aware enough to silently cast a protective charm to ward off disease on all four of them. He couldn’t help but wonder why his mum hadn’t asked him or granddad to cast it on her if she knew she was working in the TB ward.

Nurse MacNeil gave each boy a squeeze on the shoulder. “I’ll leave you boys here. Let me or any of the others know if you need anything.” Turning with a sad sigh the nurse left the boys alone. She and others all loved Sarah and her boys. It was hard knowing that it was only a matter of time for Sarah. Thankfully both her boys were old enough to look after themselves and would not be sent to an orphanage. Closing the ward doors behind her nurse MacNeil went to tell the others that Sarah’s boys were with her.

In the ward the three boys stood around, not quite sure what to do with themselves. “Stevie? Harry?” Sarah’s voice was hoarse, but her face lit up when she saw her boys. Reaching out with a shaky hand she motioned for them to come closer. “I'm so sorry. I was asked to cover April’s shift in the TB ward at the last second.” Harry and Steve sat on either side of the bed leaving Bucky to take the sole chair.

“Ma, I…” Steve wrung his hands, not sure what to do.

Smiling Sarah reached over and cupped her son’s face. “Oh, baby. You’re going to be just fine. I know it. You and James are going to become famous artists and Harry is going to be a wonderful auror. Now I don’t want you to waste your time here with me. I know you have paid your tuitions, but you still need supplies so the four of you continue working and get into trouble. Now, tell me all about your day.”

~*~*~*~*~

Sarah Theodora Rogers née Grant died on September 13, 1937. Her sons took a leave of absence from their respective schools to morn and attend the funeral held that following Saturday. She was buried next to her husband and in the same graveyard as her bearer.

The funeral was a simple, quiet affair that was completely no-Maj in traditions. Theodore had asked his grandsons if they had wanted a second wizarding funeral, but they eventually agreed that saying goodbye once would be hard enough. They boys had also refused to stay with their granddad, insisting that they needed to return home. Once he was sure that they would be looked after Theodore gladly left his boys under the care of James Barnes.

Bucky watched his two friends with concern. Neither of them had been themselves since they found out Sarah Rogers was terminally ill. “Why don’t you both come stay with me? We can put the cushions on the floor again.”

Steve shook his head. “Thanks Buck, but we’re good.” He knew that while his Ma’s death was hard on him, Harry was having a worse time of it. He wanted to help his boyfriend, but he couldn’t do it with Bucky hovering.

“That’s just it.” Bucky grabbed both boys by the shoulder and turned them around. “Neither of you have to do this alone. I'm with you punks till the end of the line.”

Steve reached up and held his brother’s arm. “I know that Buck. We’re together, all three of us, but tonight it just needs to be me and Harry.” Steve hopped Bucky would understand what Steve needed to do for Harry.

“Alright. I’ll be back tomorrow morning with breakfast.” Letting go of Harry’s shoulder Bucky pulled Steve into a hug. “You take care of yourself, not just Harry alright punk?”

“Thanks Buck.” Letting go, Steve pulled out his key and opened the door.

Bucky immediately pulled Harry into a hug as well. “Listen close Brat. None of this is your fault. Shit happens to the best of us through no fault of our own. Okay. Make sure the Punk looks after himself as well.” Giving Harry one last squeeze Bucky left the two boys to comfort one another.

Steve watched his brother go, grateful that he understood. Pulling Harry close Steve guided the smaller boy into the apartment and straight to their room. Silently Steve helped Harry out of his cloths, leaving him only in his skivvies then led into their bed. Quickly and with much less care, Steve threw off his own clothes and climbed into bed beside his boyfriend pulling him close. “We’ll be alright. I promise. None of this is your fault Harry. Having you in our lives makes them fuller and happier. And,” Steve continued before Harry could interrupt him. Already knowing what he was going to say. “There is no proof that Ma wouldn’t have died if you hadn’t been here. For all we know Ma would have died last year. So, no blaming yourself understand.”

“Steve,” Harry whined.

“No Harry. You are in no way to blame for his. Because, if you are then so am I, more so probably. Ma was talking all those shifts so she could pay for my medical bills. I'm the reason she took the extra shift in the TB ward.”

“Steve! No! you’re not to blame for that.” Harry quickly sat up, needing to reassure his partner that it wasn’t his fault.

“Exactly. I'm not at fault and neither are you. Now, come lay back down and get some sleep. You have to be back at the academy Monday.”

Nodding Harry bundled himself in the blankets and his boyfriend’s arms. He was grateful that he had such an amazing boyfriend in Steve along with great brothers in Bucky and Jaybird. The next morning, he was returning to auror training and he was bound and determined to become the best auror there was. He would make his mum proud of him.

~*~*~*~

**I think my training officers are trying to kill us.**

_No, they’re not. They need you alive at the end of it all._

**Not all of us. They only want the best, so they are trying to get as many of us to quit as quickly as possible. I’ve lost count of how many push-ups I've done.**

_Don’t you dare let them force you home. Merlin, I want to see you, I want you home, but_ I _swear to Helga if you come home before you become an auror I will kick your ass._

**Well, if you’re going to kick my arse if I get kicked out, I better not get kicked out. I really don’t want you passing out or having an attack trying to kick my arse.**

_You’re an asshole._

**You love my arsehole.**

_Merlin Harry! You’re lucky I'm at home. I just spit out my water. That would be a little hard to explain at school._

**You know better than to take the journal to a no-Maj place. If you have to go out with it, at least go to the Way.**

_I know. I don’t actually plan on taking the journal to school._

**Oh, Merlin I gotta to go. They’re calling us to the training grounds**.

~*~

 **So those arseholes decided it would be a good idea to work us till 2200, then come in at 0300 and wake us by setting off explosion spells. Our sergeant yells at us to get out on the grounds. We’re forced to do push-ups into jumping jacks into sit-up into push-up while they are shooting water jets at us. For TWO HOURS! I can't feel my body anymore. Distract me. Tell me about art school**.

_Art school is fun. Bucky and I are in most classes together, but there are a few that we have separate. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many naked bodies in my life. I'm really enjoying the drawing classes, while the sculpture classes are the worst. I can't ever seem to get the stupid clay to do what I want. Painting isn’t so bad; the teacher says my skill in drawing will help me. Bucky’s doing well in his classes and in picking up dames._

**That sounds like Bucky. I'm glad you are both doing good. How did the move go?**

_It was alright. Didn't have much stuff. Granddad arranged for a vault to be opened to store Ma’s things. I brought your things with me as well. The only problem is neither of us know how to cook and I can't call Mist for food._

**Well that’s what you get for skimping out on mum’s lessons.**

~*~

_Do you know if you’ll get any time off? We really missed you over Christmas._

**I think so. I’ve heard rumours that it depends on how many are left and where we are in our training. We’ve already lost ten to regular auror training and another two all together**.

_What? Regular auror training? Harry what didn't you tell us?_

**Oh. I thought I did. I applied to both regular auror training and to an advance course. I was accepted to both and decided to join the advanced course. Its designed to train special ops, spies, officers, that kind of thing. We were told that if we join the auror corps after graduating we are automatically given the rank of Team Leader or Sergeant. I'm not sure which or if they’re the same thing. The instructors seem to use the terms interchangeably. Its really annoying.**

_Do you know what you want to do when you graduate? Being in the advanced course seems to have given you more options than I originally thought._

**I'm not sure. Its hard to decide knowing that the second world war will be starting up in a few years.**

_I forgot about that. Do you remember when it starts?_

**Around 1940, I think. I also seem to remember that the States don’t join right away. I do remember it ends in 1945.**

_That’s…that’s not very far off._

**I know, try not to focus on that though. Yes, war is horrible, and people will be killed, but we win in the end. I know it doesn’t mean much right now but it’s something to focus on.**

~*~

Buck and I have been talking and we’ve both agreed that there is no way we can afford another semester at Auburndale. Granddad has offered to pay for both of us, but we would prefer to pay our own way.

**Steve…I understand, I really do. Promise me you won’t stop drawing. You have such talent that I would hate for you to lose it.**

_I won’t I promise. I’ll even draw in the journal for you._

**I’d really like that. I've always loved your art. You know you should see if any newspapers need artists, maybe even publishers or printers.**

_I hadn’t thought of that. Tomorrow Buck and I were going to search for jobs, I’ll stop by the printers and the newspaper office. Hopefully they will give me something._

~*~

_You were right._

**Of course, I was. Tell me how I was right this time?**

_I went to the papers about getting a job drawing for them. They liked my work and hired me on the spot. I am now drawing for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The lead artists also suggested a couple of printers for me to go too as well. So, I did, and they hired me too!_

**That great Steve! What about Bucky, did he get a job?**

_He did. Buck’s working at the old canning factory. He doesn’t really like it, but it pays decent. We figured that if I keep getting commissions from the paper and publishers then get a delivery job for when I don’t, we should be able to take a few art classes._

**That’s Brilliant! What kind of classes and where would you go to take them?**

_When I went to talk with my advisor about not returning in September, he tole me about the classes they offer on the side. Most are one or two nights a week for eight weeks or so. He was adamant that I keep up with my art. Said he didn't want to see me go._

**He’s right. You have so much talent. I hate that you can't continue with your school. When I graduate will you let me help you out. Even if its just paying all the rent.**

_I don’t know Harry_

**You would do it for me right?**

_Of course, I would._

**Exactly. Shit. I gotta go. We’re doing night training.**

_Have_ _fun._

**Fuck you.**

~*~

**So, it’s been proven, my trainers are complete bastards.**

_What did they do to you this time?_

**So, we were fed spaghetti for lunch after being told we would be spending the afternoon in class, only we didn’t**

_Oh no. what happened?_

**After scarfing down platefuls of spaghetti, and I'm pretty sure some of the guys had three or more plates. Then the training officer comes in and says we’re running up the mountain. I don’t think many of the guys made it back without throwing up.**

_Merlin that is just evil and genius. Did you or Jay throw up?_

**Jay did. I'm pretty sure that my wonderful childhood helped toughen my stomach, though it was a close one I’ll admit. But I'm glad that this shite is almost over. I can't wait to get home to you.**

~*~

Harry and Jared collapsed on the couch in Bucky and Steve’s apartment to the laughter of the other two. “Fuck you both.” Jared cursed as he shifted on the couch. “I’d like to see you two go through that kind of training.”

“I think I’ll pass on that thanks.” Bucky threw a bag of pumpkin seeds at Jared’s prone form.

Steve stayed silent. He knew that they would be put through a version of that training soon enough. While it may not be a long or as difficult as what Harry and Jay went through, but basic would still be tough. “So, now what?” he asked, wanting to change subjects.

“Now we think. There were several department heads watching the final exams. The ones that wanted us gave us a letter of offer. Thankfully I got more than one.” Harry reached over and took the bag of seeds from Jay.

“Hey!” Jared reached for the seeds which Harry kept out of his reach. “Speak for yourself. I only needed one department to accept me and they did. I really don’t care about the rest.”

“Which one do you want Jay-Bird?” Bucky asked as he took the seeds from Harry.

“I guess it would be considered research and devolvement. I’ve always been interested in it, but its hard to find answers as all their members are sworn to secrecy.”

Steve nodded. He could see Jay becoming an Unspeakable. Harry, on the other hand, he had no idea where Harry would want to go and was sure Harry didn't know either.

“What about you Harry?” Bucky said as he tossed the seeds over to Steve.

“I don’t know. The R n’ D sounds fun, but there’s also law enforcement, which is what I originally joined the program for. Then there’s the International Operatives.”

“Wait, like spies?”

Harry laughed. “Yes Bucky, like spies.”

“That’s…wicked.” Mentally Harry smiled, hearing a nineties word coming out of thirties teen was amusing. Bucky had overheard Harry using amazing once or twice and had liked it.

“Except, I’d be gone overseas more than I would be home.” Harry was torn. He’d listened to each of the department recruiters’ presentations on what the new recruits could expect and he had really liked what the International Confederation of Wizards and the Aurors had to offer. He had tried talking to Jay about it, but his friend had his heart set on becoming an Unspeakable and had yet to find that special someone, so he didn't really understand Harry’s dilemma.

Seeing his boyfriend getting lost in his thoughts Steve stood and gently tugged Harry to his feet. “Come one. It’s late and you’re tired. Let’s head to bed and get some sleep.” Sighing in gratitude Harry let himself be led into the single bedroom. It had been agreed on that when Harry was home, he and Steve got the room. Bucky and Jay did not want a repeat of their first visit; neither one wanted to see either mans naked ass like that ever again.

In the room Steve and Harry were quick to undress and cuddle together in the single bed. It was a tight fit, but they didn't really mind. Once they were both comfortable Steve rubbed Harry’s back happy that Harry had decided to use him as a pillow. “Tell me about the offers.”

“Well, the Auror Department has multiple positions open across the country, including a few in New York. Most of them are Team Leaders, a few detective positions then there’s always becoming a regular auror. They also have a few Hit Wizard positions, but I'm not sure I’d like that. The ICW doesn’t have many options, mostly just Special Agents.”

“What do special agents do?” Steve kept gently running his hand up and down Harry’s back, trying to help keep Harry calm.

“Whatever is needed. They get sent to different countries to help out with Dark Wizards that the local aurors can't handle.”

“Which one do you want to do?” Steve asked gently.

“That’s the problem Steve, I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. If it was just you, no one else, which would you choose?” Steve was sure he already knew Harry's answer, but Harry needed to decide it himself. “Don’t over think it, just go with your gut. Close your eyes. I'm going to count to three and your going to say the first one that comes to mind. Okay…one…two…three.”

“The ICW.” Harry wasn’t sure what shocked him more, his answer or Steve’s easy acceptance.

Pulling Harry close Steve kissed his forehead. “I knew the moment you mentioned the ICW’s offer it was the one you would go with. You know the war is starting soon and you want to help as much as you can. We both know that MACUSA won’t do anything to help. We’re too much alike sometimes.” Both men laughed, it was true they both had a saving people thing. “Take the ICW offer. I know it means you being gone more, but it’s what you want. I couldn’t live with my self knowing that I was the one holding you back.”

“Steve, are you sure? From what the offer says these missions take a long time. It could be months or even years before we can see each other again.”

“I know. Don’t think I won’t miss you, cause I will. But this is what you want and where you can make the most difference. We managed while you were at school, we can manage again. Besides, if you want to you can always leave the ICW and get a job with MACUSA after the war.”

“I love you.” Harry leaned up and kissed Steve. He still couldn’t believe his luck in finding Steve.

“And I you. When do you have to reply to the offers by?”

“For the ICW, I need to let them know by next week. Though I think the jobs don’t start till August.”

“Perfect. Tomorrow morning you are going to write an acceptance letter for the ICW and send it off. Then I am going to spend the next month and a half making sure you remember me.” Steve leaned over Harry smiling lustfully.

The next morning Harry wrote his acceptance letter for the ICW and sent it off. Harry was an absolute bundle of nerves until a reply came two days later with information on where Harry was to report for duty on August first. Having received a positive response Harry immediately calmed and began baking. The other three men had no issues with this as Harry not only had Sarah Roger’s recipes but had convinced Mrs. Barnes to part with hers.

~*~*~*~

The rest of the month saw Harry baking nearly non-stop while Steve made sure that Harry would remember his touch no matter how long they were to be apart, though neither man was quite ready to go all the way. All too soon the day came where Harry had to leave. Having made sure that he had his journal packed along with everything else he would need he made his way to the front door. Part of him was excited to go, he wanted to travel and help people. Yet another part of him never wanted to leave.

Arms wrapped themselves around Harry’s waist from behind. “I know part of you wants to stay, but you can't listen to that part. They need you. You and I know the war is going to start up soon and you need to be out there helping. I’ll follow as soon as I'm able, I’ll be there fighting along side you with Bucky in tow.”

Harry laughed and leaned into Steve’s hold. “I know. My bag is packed and the port-key leaves in an hour which gives me enough time to leave here and find a safe place for it to activate. I want to stay, of course I want to stay, but like you said people need me.” Slowly Harry turned in Steve’s arms. “I really hate our saving-people-thing sometimes.”

Steve laughed. It was all too true they both had issues with saving people, but it was something neither of them were willing to put an end to. Leaning forward Steve captured Harry’s lips with his own. When he finally let go Steve pressed his forehead against Harry’s. “I love you. I'm going to miss you, but this is what’s best for you.” Taking one last kiss Steve nodded to the doorway. “Come on. Jared and Bucky are waiting outside waiting to say good-bye.” Pulling away from his boyfriend, Harry picked up his bag and headed for the door. Outside his brothers were waiting for him.

“So, we got you a present. No, you are not allowed to say anything about it. The three of us went in on this together.” Jared held out a small box, which he pushed at Harry when he refused to take it. “Open it and you’re not allowed to say anything except thank you.”

“Guys…” Harry wined.

“No. That’s not a thank you and you haven’t opened the box yet.”

Sighing Harry opened the box and gasped. Inside was a brand-new Colt pistol with a box of ammo. On the slide they had gotten Avada Kedavra engraved. Harry had to laugh. “Thanks guys. This is great. You really didn’t have to, but I do love it.”

“Granddad found out that we were getting this for you and decided to get this for you, as well as arranging for the engraving. He is sorry that he can’t be here to say good-bye, but he got called in.” Steve handed Harry a slightly larger box. Opening this box Harry found a black leather holster for the gun with spots to carry the magazines. Wrapping it around his waist Harry put the gun in and smiled.

“This is great guys. Thanks so much.” Harry gave each man a hug. “I’ll write to you all, promise.”

“You better Brat.” Bucky hugged the other man back. He was glad that Harry was finding his place and his calling, but he was sad to see him go not knowing when the brat would be home next.

“I will, just keep an eye on these two for me you prat.” Bucky nodded and gently pushed Harry away and towards Jared.

“Take care of yourself, you hear. I don’t want to be the one that has to hold these two together if something happens to you.” Jared whispered into Harry’s ear as they hugged.

“I will, promise. You also need to be careful with your experiments. I need you here to make sure these idiots are alright.”

Letting go Jared smiled at his brother. “I’ll keep an eye on them for you.”

“Thank you. I better go otherwise I’ll be late.” Reluctantly Harry picked his bag up from where he had dropped it. “You guys look out for each other. I’ll be home as soon as I can. I love all of you.” Turning around Harry headed for the abandoned alley he had picked out to portkey from. Checking his watch Harry made sure that he had everything on him that he needed before the portkey activated.

He arrived in a large open space with a single secretary desk at one end with a door on either side. Shrugging Harry made his way over to the desk. Sitting behind it was a very plane witch, her brown hair was cut to hang around her ears and her brown eyes were hidden behind plane black rimed glasses. “Welcome to the ICW, name please.”

“Hadrian Potter.” He watched as she flipped through a pile of parchment with no expression on her face.

Nodding she handed him a folder and pointed to the door on her left. “Auror training orientation is through there. Go through the door at the end of the hall and take a seat. The instructor will be there within ten minutes.” Without waiting for a response, she went back to her paperwork.

Shrugging Harry made his way through the door and followed her instructions. In the room were several other witches and wizards sitting around waiting. Finding an empty seat Harry sat down, pushing his bag under his chair. A few minutes later they were joined by another wizard, followed by another a few minutes later. By the time the instructor arrived there were twenty of them sitting in the room.

“Welcome all of you to the ICW auror training program. All of you have already passed your own countries advanced auror training program. This program is specialized for what we need of you. We fully expect at least half of you to drop out before we are part way through. This training program will take as long or as short as you make it. You will be spilt into two groups based on your talents and skills. Today you will be put through a short test to determine which class you will be in.

You will leave your bags here and follow me out to the training grounds. Once you have been placed into your group then you may come back here and get your things before moving to your assigned barracks.” Turning around the instructor headed out a door that hadn’t been there when they trainees entered.

Getting up Harry followed the instructor out the door and onto the concourse which had multiple structures set up as an obstacle course. He could already tell that there were people hiding in and around the structures to ambush them, along with people he assumed would be acting as victims or by-standers. “Who wants to be first?” One of the older experienced aurors swaggered up to the start line. “Stick to stunners only for this round. One the count of thee. One…two…by-standers are wearing blue…three.”

The older wizard took off at a run. Immediately two people jumped out at him and he stunned both. Harry was watching closely and noticed that one of the people stunned had a blue clip in her hair. _So, that’s how they’re going to do it. I’ll have to watch and see if the people attacking change._ After watching most of the group go through Harry was sure of two things: the people attacking changed every round and the by-standers all had something blue on them, but that something blue was rarely clearly visible.

Walking up to the start line Harry closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, allowing his instincts to take over. Hearing the instructor yell three, Harry took off slowly and carefully reaching out with his magic. He could feel a soft gentle pulse coming from the charmed blue items and silently sent out protection charms at them. Knowing that he now had a bit of a safety net Harry quickly shot up the first obstacle.

Letting his instincts guide him Harry spun, rolled, dodged and ran across the course firing off stunners. Crossing the finish line Harry took a few seconds to catch his breath before checking his score.

~*~*~*~

**It turns out that I've been placed in the advanced group, not that they call it that or will admit that its advanced. On top of regular training, which is basically a do over of auror training, we each have to select two fields of study. The list is fairly large, but most of them I've ignored completely.**

_What are the fields and why do you need two? Don’t most people only have one mastery at a time?_

**Well, its not really a mastery. We just need to be above the regular level, though I might go for a mastery if I really like one of them. I don’t think there’s enough room here for me to copy all the options out. I've decided to study battle medicine, it basically makes me a battlefield medic for myself or the team I'm working with.**

_That’s a good idea, especially if you decide to work by yourself a lot. What are your other options?_

**Well, I see no point in studying tactics, that’s your speciality. I've also been told not to bother taking any leadership classes. Apparently, I've been put into officer training as part of my regular classes.**

_You do take charge naturally and are a very good leader. I'm sure your trainers have noticed that_.

**I guess so. I'm just not sure what else to take, not much has spoken to me.**

_What has spoken to you?_

**Warding, spell crafting and runes. But I'm leaning more towards warding, I think.**

_Warding is a good choice. I think you’d do good with that. Warding is important for battle and even more important for healing during battle. If you can set up wards around you and the patient, then you’ll be safe from spell fire while you heal._

**You know, I’ve never thought of it like that. That’s why you’re the strategist.**

~*~

**This training is absolute hell. Even worse than the advanced auror training.**

_I'm sure its not that bad, you should already know most of what you need, right?_

**Steve, I would prefer a re-do of the spaghetti incident**.

_That bad_

**Yeah. That bad. I can't remember my body hurting so much, and it’s a constant ache. It doesn’t seem to matter how many potions I take or creams I use my muscles, joins and bones all hurt.**

_I wish I was there to rub your body for you_

**Merlin, I needed that laugh. Thanks, I wish you were here to rub me too…even in a normal non perverted way**

**I think they’re training some of us so hard because they need some agents to be able to do the missions solo. While I work well with a team I also do very good by myself and I think the higher ups have noticed that. The idea of having to take down some dark lord in a different country by myself is a daunting thought, yet I also really want to do it. Does that make me crazy?**

_Yes. Yes, it does. But then I'm probably just as crazy as you, so I wouldn’t worry about it. If your going to be sent on solo missions, it’s a good thing you decided to specialize in healing and warding. You are definitely going to be needing those._

**The only problem I can see is that its starting to sound like we go from training straight into missions, no leave between. Which means I won't be home to see you before I'm sent off somewhere**.

_That sucks. I was really hoping to see you before you get sent off and I know both Buck and Jay wanted to see you as well._

**I’ll keep you posted, but its not looking good.**

_Just stay safe. We all need to get through this war safely, afterwards we’ll all find calmer jobs that don’t involve getting shot at._

**That sounds like a wonderful idea**

~*~

**I am now officially a member of the ICW Special Teams and have been given the rank of Lieutenant. I've been given two days to recover before being sent to Bangkok. Apparently, they have a small dark lord problem that needs to be dealt with.**

_So, no coming home for you?_

**No. I really wish I was coming home, even for just a few days. I really wanted to see you guys again. The journal is wonderful, but nothing beats being there with you.**

_Trust me I know. I wish you were here as well, but beggars can't be choosers. You have a job that needs to be done, and you are the best for that job._

**That doesn’t make missing you any easier**

~*~*~*~

_We heard the news about the attack on Pearl Harbour today during art class. I can't believe the Japs would dare attack like that. I really hope that we will finally join the war. Bucky and I will be going to try and join up as soon as they ask for volunteers._

**I hadn’t been taught about that attack in school. Though I do know that the States will be joining, probably be in the news first thing tomorrow. The ICW is hoping that MACUSA might get their heads out of their arses and help, but they’re not too hopeful. From what I remember the British Ministry won't help either.**

_There are times I really hate how isolationist the magical community is. I understand it, but it is annoying when there are big things happening._

**Thankfully the ICW is here. The Head Mugwump Abamonti is trying to help wherever he can. I think they have plans to send me into Europe for a quick mission, then if the rumours are true, I’ll be sent to Australia to deal with a rising dark lord; the Australian ministry asked for the ICW to send help before this dark lord become to powerful.**

_Well, don’t forget your suntan lotion and don’t get bitten by a snake._

**Very funny Rogers. I’ll send you all a postcard.**

~*~

_Bucky’s decided that I need boxing lessons, and as he’s the three-time welterweight YMCA champion, he’s going to be my teacher._

**Well, he’s not wrong. You could do to learn some fighting skills. I know you’re an amazing strategist, you’ve helped me on a few missions.**

_I’m glad I could help. Bucky wants to wait a couple weeks before going to a recruitment center. He wants to make sure I can hold my own before he leaves. We both know he’s going to be taken when we go. And you know how overprotective he can be. It doesn’t help that Jaybird is being sent across the country for work._

**That won't help Bucky feel good at leaving you.**

_Tell me about it. He won't stop worrying and prepping the house. He’s gone out to get more of my medicine and put some in each room._

**That reminds me. I talked with the goblins and they agreed to pack up the house and let our landlord know he can rent it out again once you join or if you ask them to. I’ve asked them to put all the house things into our vault. Stonehammer told me that anything I add to my vault will remain there while the Potter money will be returned after I disappear in the future.**

_That’s good to know. While I hope to be accepted right away, I really don’t expect it. I'm trying to find another apartment that I can afford on my own. It’s good to know that you’ll keep the vault and the original money will automatically be returned. Not that I think it will ever matter. We’ll be really old by then._

**Merlin, I hope so. Jeeze, we’ll be in our seventies by then. It’s weird to think about that.**

~*~

**I won't be coming home for Christmas this year. This damn dark lord was able to amass a huge following and made sure there were people in place to continue his work. So instead of hunting down one dark lord and a few followers I now have to track down at least six wanna be dark lords and each one is gathering more followers. This is going to be a long mission.**

_Merlin, I miss you. This is the second Christmas you’ll be missing, and we can't even owl you your gifts. Granddad spoke with Stonehammer and he said that they would send your gifts to the Australian branch for you and that you could send any packages or letters through the bank as well._

**That really helps. Getting you your gifts last year was a pain in the arse**.

_That it was, but at least last year you were still in Europe._

**That’s true. Oh, I forgot to tell you I was promoted. Apparently, my actions in the last missions and with how quickly I took down this dark lord equal me being a Captain.**

_Congratulations. I'm surprised it took them this long to promote you._

~*~

_Bucky was drafted. He reports to basic in two days on the 26 th. _

**At least you have Christmas with him. Why did you two decide to a recruitment center on Christmas eve?**

_Seemed like a good idea at the time. That and he was starting to get looks from people when we went out. Those in the neighbourhood know that he stayed to help me out, but others judge._

**I’d say fuck everyone else, but I know both you and Bucky want to go and fight…well at least I know you’re chomping at the bit to go fight, like always.**

_True, I can't wait to go over and fight. Bucky’s a little excited, mostly because he’s sure the girls like a guy in uniform._

**That would be his only concern.**

~*~

_I’ve been rejected again._

**Steve, how many tries is this one?**

_Four._

**I know you want to go fight and I know you would be good at it, but the army has rules about health issues. You’re ineligible on your asthma alone, never mind all your heart issues.**

_That’s what they keep telling me. But I have to keep trying Harry. Its not fair that I get to stay here safe when the other guys are over there fighting._

**I know Steve, and I love you for that. Well…fifth times a charm?**

_Bucky’s home on leave for a couple days. He’s a sergeant, can you believe someone though Bucky would be responsible enough to be a leader._

**That is too funny. Though thankfully he’s only a Sergeant and not a Captain. Oh, did I mention that I’ve been promoted again. They’ve made me a Major.**

_A Major, that’s good. Though, any higher and you get taken off the battlefield, right?_

**Yeah, I already told the generals when they promoted me that I will refuse any other promotions. They laughed at me.**

_I'm not surprised. So, Bucky caught me in a fight this afternoon after being rejected. Apparently tonight we are going to the World Expo Howard Stark is running. He even got me a date, though he did apologize for it. Apparently, his date heard about me and offered to bring a friend and he couldn’t tell her no._

**Well, try to have fun tonight and make fun of Bucky for me.**

_I will. You stay safe, I love you._

**I love you too Steve.**


	5. June 15, 1943 – November 9, 1943

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you reconize it then it's not mine. I did a quick edit on it as I was told a part was a little confusing. Hopefully this works out the problem.

_So, I’ve finally been drafted into the army. I start basic in the morning._

**Steve! That’s great. I know you’ve wanted to join since I mentioned the damn war to you. To be honest though, I'm surprised they took you. I know that asthma is a disqualifier, never mind your heart issues. You didn't lie about that did you?**

_No, I didn't lie about that._

**What did you lie about then?**

_Caught that did you. I may have filled out multiple forms and said I lived in other cities._

**You do know what would happen if they caught you?**

_Well…they kind of already did. But the person doing my exam didn't seem to mind. I think he actually liked that I had been trying so hard._

**Just, promise me you’ll be a safe as you can. I love you and would very much like it if you didn't die on me.**

_I’ll do my best. I love you too and I don’t want to die, but you’re the one being sent from country to country to fight in all those mini wars, so out of the two of us I’d say you’re in the greater amount of danger._

**I know. I do try to make sure to be careful and wear all the protective charms and equipment I'm given for each mission.**

_Thank you. I need you safe when this war is all over._

~*~

Sitting on his bunk in his barrack Steve watched the others run around and ruff-housing while he unpacked the strategy books Harry had given him. He knew they would be helpful eventually. Remembering Harry's stories from his time in auror training Steve decided it would be best to head to bed and get as much sleep as possible.

The next morning Steve was up bright and early ready to go. After dressing in his PT gear, as they had been ordered to the night before, he left the barracks and headed to where Sergeant Duffy ordered them to stand in line and wait. He was sure that he would be ready for bed within the next couple of hours.

~*~

_You were right basic training is hell on earth. There is one guy, Hodge, who is bent on making my time here even worse. First thing this guy does is insult one of our commanding officers. I do like Agent Carter; she doesn’t take any shit from anyone. Punched Hodge in the face not even five minutes into our orientation, knocked him flat on his ass._

**That sounds hilarious. I wish I could have seen that. This Carter sounds like someone you don’t want to fuck with. I remember basic with a fond hatred. Though I'm not sure which was worse, auror training through MACUSA or the ICW. What else is going on with you?**

_I am getting really sick of the looks, especially from Colonel Philips, he looks like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich whenever he looks at me. I got stuck trying to climb the rope ladder, ended up hanging upside down. Then Hodge knocked out a post when we were crawling under barbed wire, got stuck in that too._

**Hodge is a bully. You and I both know how people like that are. Just focus on your own training.**

_I know. I don’t really care what he does I will finish basic and be shipped overseas._

**I know you will, you are too damn stubborn to give up. You’ll make it through no matter what they put you through. Just let me know if you need anything and I’ll find a way to send it to you.**

_The books you gave me are helping a lot. I did finish Heroes of the Western Front and have started the Machines of War. The other’s just stare at me when I read them. I'm sure they are thinking I'm trying too hard and will be kicked out any time now. I’ll let you know if I need anything else._

~*~

_Today on our daily run I finally got one over on the others. We stopped at the half-way point and I honestly thought I was having another heart attack. Sergeant Duffy told us that whoever brought him the flag could have a ride back to base with Agent Carter in the Jeep. Well Merlin be damned if I wasn’t getting that flag. The other guys all jumped up and tried to climb the pole while the sergeant was yelling that the flag hasn’t been gotten in 17 years. Well. When the idiots were all done trying, I went over, pulled the pin on the pole and watched it fall with no small amount of glee. You should have seen the look on Duffy’s face when I handed him the flag. Agent Carter just smirked; I think she found it funny that I was the one to get the flag._

**Oh Merlin! I would have loved to see that. Serves them all right. I’m being shipped back to Headquarters now that the coup is finished. I have to say Argentina is quite nice, even with dark wizards out to kill you.**

~*~

_Philips is an asshole. Decided to test us all today during physical. I'm trying to do jumping jacks, and those are just evil, when he tosses a grenade at us._

**NO! Steve! Tell me you didn't. Please tell me you didn't jump on that grenade.**

_Technically I slide onto the grenade, which was a dud. Shut Philips up though. That was fun. Oh, and it turns out I get a day’s leave on the 19 th. I was hoping you might be able to get away and meet me for a movie and dinner. We can rent a room on the Way if you want. I don’t have to be back on base till 1500 on the 20th. _

Steve felt bad for not telling Harry the truth about his enlistment, but he was sure his boyfriend would freak if he found out Steve was signing up to be a science experiment. Not even telling Harry that Dr. Erskine was a squib and chose Steve for his magic would keep the other man from worrying about him. 

**I don’t care what it takes I will get those days off. Thankfully you gave me a couple days to talk with my superors and I'm currently between missions. It really shouldn't be an issue for them to let me go home for two days.**

**Merlin, I miss you so much. It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve last seen each other. I need to make sure you are alright.**

~*~*~*~

Harry stood outside Gringotts watching the people pass, feeling excited and nervous. It had been almost two years since he had last seen Steve. They had seen a ball game at Ebbets field, Harry’s first. Both Steve and Bucky were obsessed with baseball and would listen to the games over the radio every night during the season. So, Harry got an idea to buy Steve and Bucky tickets to a Brooklyn Dodgers game for their birthdays. He had decided on a game in May 1941, half-way between each of their birthdays. Unfortunately, days before the game Bucky’s Ma had gotten sick so he told Harry to go in his place. Thankfully Harry had been home on leave for the month. He hadn’t been able to get leave since. 

“Steve!” Harry launched himself at his boyfriend glad that they had decided to meet up at the Way. He wasn’t sure he could have kept himself from hugging the other man if they had been in the No-Maj world.

“Harry!” Steve called out as he raced up the bank’s steps. Wrapping his arms around the now larger man, Steve kissed him hard. It had been far too long since Harry had shipped off.

Harry pulled away reluctantly when the need to breath became too much. “Merlin I’ve missed you.” Leaning forward Harry rested his head on Steve’s chest.

“I've missed you too Mo grá. It’s been far too long since I've had you in my arms.”

Laughing Harry pulled away while still having his arms around Steve. “I hope you don’t think I'm easy Mr. Rogers. I fully expect to be wined and dined before I let you anywhere near my pants.”

Stepping out of Harry’s hold Steve wrapped one arm around the other’s shoulders laughing. “I wouldn’t expect any less of you Mr. Potter. That’s why I have booked us reservations for dinner tonight, and I'm not telling you where. It’s a surprise. In the meantime, I thought we could stop at the café you like for tea and some breakfast, then do some window shopping and have lunch then meeting up at the theater afterwards for a movie before dinner. How does that sound to you?”

“That sounds wonderful.” Harry pressed himself against Steve’s side and allowed the blond to guide them to his favorite café. He was bound and determined to enjoy today no matter what after all he wasn’t sure when he would see his boyfriend again.

They spent the morning wondering the Way, holding hands and leaning into one another. Each soaking up the other’s presence. After lunch the two men slowly headed to the entrance to the No-Maj world. Pulling apart from each other they walked a few blocks together talking about nothing at all before separating and heading to the theater.

Harry got to the theater first and bought his ticket, then headed to the concession stand. He was truly thankful that he had decided to wear his military uniform, he did not want the negative attention that other men were getting for not being in uniform.

“Harry? Is that you?” Steve had arrived shortly afterwards and bought his own ticket.

“Steve? I haven’t seen you in ages! What are you doing here?”

“I'm off on leave so I thought I’d come see a movie. You on leave as well?”

“Yeah. My last day. I gotta be back on base tomorrow. What movie are you seeing?”

“Bambi. I’ve always admired Mr. Disney’s work.”

Laughing Harry turned to the concession worker and ordered popcorn and soda for them both. “You know after the war you should head out to California and apply. You’re a good enough artist you could be an animator. As it turns out I'm seeing Bambi too. Why don’t we sit together and catch up afterwards?”

Following Harry into the theater Steve tried hard to keep his eyes off his boyfriend’s ass. It was difficult, but he forced his eyes to stay above Harry’s waist. Thankfully the theater was mostly empty this time of day and Harry selected two seats at the back. Sitting down beside the wizard Steve forced himself to wait and keep his hands to himself until the lights went out and he was sure no one was near or paying them attention. Only when he was sure they were safe from prying eyes did Steve slip his hand onto Harry’s thigh.

After the movie the pair walked side by side down the streets talking about their experiences in basic and of old times. Once they reached the safety of the Way Steve quickly pulled Harry in close. “Come on, let’s go check into the hotel then we can go for dinner.” With his hand on the small of Harry’s back Steve guided him to Heilig Hotel and checked them in. It took him a minute, but Steve convinced Harry to wait for him in the lobby while he raced up to the room.

Harry laughed silently as he watched Steve rush up to their room. He was sure that Steve had something big planned for tonight, and to be honest so did he. It could all wait though, he wanted to enjoy the time he had with Steve. Settling himself down in one of the chairs by the fireplace Harry waited for his wayward boyfriend to return from no doubt setting up a romantic setting in their hotel room.

Ten minutes later Steve returned with a huge smile on his face. “We’re all set up and with time to spare. Our reservations are for seven, so we have time to wander if you want.” Holding out his hand Steve helped Harry up and guided him out of the hotel. Smiling, Harry let Steve guide him down the Way listening to Steve talk about Peggy Carter.

“You know, if I didn't know any better, I would think you had a crush on this Peggy.” Harry gently shoved Steve.

Stopping Steve pulled Harry around. “I don’t feel anything for Peggy. She’s a good friend, nothing more. You are the only one for me.”

“Steve, Steve honey,” Harry reached over to cup his boyfriends face. “It was a joke. I know that you would never go with anyone else. Now, don’t we have dinner reservations?”

“That we do. Come, I have great plans to wine and dine you properly.” Liking their arms together Steve guided Harry to the Golden Pegasus.

“Wait! Steve, we can’t afford this.” Harry pulled them to a stop looking between Steve and the restaurant.

“Yes, we can. I have some savings from working before and some pay from the army. I also contacted Granddad and talked with him. So, a part of tonight is on him.” Gesturing with his arm Steve led Harry into the restaurant. Dinner and desert went by surprisingly quickly, despite Harry’s watch saying that over an hour and a half had passed. Arm in arm they strolled down the Way, neither one in a hurry to get back to their hotel.

When they did reach the hotel, Steve led Harry up to their room in silence, his arm wrapped securely around Harry’s waist. Opening their room door activated the spell Steve requested. Instead of turning on the lights, the spell lit the candles he had placed all around the room. Looking around Harry chuckled lightly. Steve really had gone all out, there were even rose petals strewn about. Though thankfully they were on the couch and not the bed.

“This looks amazing Steve.” Harry smiled. The room was everything a person could want for that special night. Turning around to give his boyfriend a thank you kiss Harry was shocked to find Steve down on one knee, a small box in one hand. Gasping Harry covered his mouth, “oh Steve.”

“Hadrian Jameson Potter, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, build a home with you, raise children with you and grow old with you.” Steve opened the box to reveal a beautiful Viking style bracelet. The band was a pair of silver cords twisted together with a pair of wolf heads on either end. “Will you marry me?”

Harry had always heard how women were rendered speechless when proposed to and he had never believed it, until now. He could feel tears build up in his eyes as he nodded and held out his left hand. “Yes! Of course, I will marry you Steve.”

Beaming at his now fiancé, Steve slid the bracelet onto Harry's wrist, stood and brought Harry into a deep soul searing kiss. “Merlin, I love you. I understand that the war is about to pick up, and we both are going to be pulled apart in this. After the war I am going to marry you, but right now. Right now, I am going to throw you onto that bed, rip off your cloths and have my very wicked way with you.” Not wasting another second Steve did just that. 

~*~

The next morning Harry woke feeling complete and more than a little sore. Stretching slowly in order to not pull the wrong muscles Harry rolled over to look at Steve. Feeling the bracelet rub against his wrist Harry broke out into a huge smile. Holding up his wrist Harry took a few moments to examine his engagement bracelet. Reaching up with his other hand he ran his fingers over the bands, turning the bracelet this way and that, looking it at different angles.

Beside him Steve was slowly waking. Turning his head, he smiled fully enjoying watching Harry look over his bracelet. Steve could feel a rush of pride at the thought of Harry wearing his bracelet, that Harry would one day be his. Rolling over Steve wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him close. “Good morning.” Steve whispered in Harry’s ear then began peppering Harry's neck with kisses.

“Mm Morning. You know I meant to ask you last night. Where did you learn about all those things you did?"

Steve smiled into Harry’s neck. “I may have owl ordered a few books when you were at school and read them multiple times.” 

Harry laughed as Steve went back to kissing his neck. "Before you go any further, I have something for you. I meant to give it to you last night, but you distracted me.” Not bothering to try and get out of Steve’s hold on him Harry summoned a box from his pants and held it out to Steve.

Reluctantly Steve let go of Harry and took the box. It was smaller than the box he had the bracelet in, and he could feel the magic seeping out. Curious now he sat up, leaning against the headboard, pleased when Harry followed resting his head against Steve’s chest. Opening the box Steve froze. “Harry, this is amazing.” Reaching down Steve pulled out the silver necklace. The pendant was a Celtic shield knot with a Norse Celtic eagle flying across it.

“I'm glad you like it. I've been working on it for about a year now. I’ve woven protection spells into the knot to protect you when you finally make it to the front lines. I know that you will make to the front lines, no matter what you have to do to get there.” Reaching out Harry took the necklace from Steve, opened the clasp and placed it around Steve’s neck. “Promise you’ll keep it on.”

Steve leaned down and kissed Harry. “Promise.”

~*~*~*~

_Okay, you're not going to like this, and I don’t want to tell you everything through the book. I did something really stupid or smart, depends on how you look at it._

**Steve…what did you do?**

_I found a way to fix all my issues. Its like I have a brand-new body. Only problem is that Philips is pissed, and I've been reassigned. Instead of going overseas and fighting I'm staying in the states and going across country on a war-bond selling tour. Senator Brant assures me that it’s vital to the war effort. I'm not sure what they want me to do, but at least it’s something._

**Steve. None of this is making me feel better. Okay that’s a bit of a lie. I do like that you’re not going to fight. I know, I know I'm a hypocrite. I just, I don’t know. I know you can handle yourself but come on. You nearly died from us snogging.**

_Thank you for bringing that up again. Its not a problem anymore. I told you I’m all fixed up. I even have access to my magic. I’ve been practising whenever I'm alone. I can perform spells that even granddad thought would be impossible for me._

**That’s amazing Steve. Let me know if there is anything you need. I’ll send you some books and maybe even a Mandrake leaf. Perhaps if your magic is as strong as your suggesting and if you have the time you can become an animagus as well.**

~*~

_So, it turns out this tour thing is almost as bad as basic. I’ve been given the stage name of Captain America and I'm stuck wearing a flag as a costume. There also three dozen dancing girls prancing around stage with me. On top of that after the performances I'm stuck doing publicity stunts. If one more woman thrusts their baby at me, I swear I might just drop it._

_You can stop laughing now you Imp._

**I'm sorry Steve, but you have to admit that’s funny, but it also sucks. I know what its like having everyone stare at you all the time. Though I'm glad to say I've never had a baby thrust at me. I can see the look on your face, trying to smile and look all friendly while inside wanting to be as far away from them as possible.**

_If that’s not bad enough, these girls keep flirting with me. I tell them that I'm engaged but it doesn’t seem to matter with some of them. They all seem to think I'm either lying or that I need practise. Even if I wasn’t with you or gay, I don’t think I would sleep with them. It’s getting really tiring pretending to be interested in women._

**That’s good. I think I would have to come and find you to maim them if they tried something with you. Perhaps I should send you a photo of the two of us. I could charm one picture to make me appear as a girl and make sure it doesn’t move.**

_Well, I suppose that could work. It could be interesting seeing you as a girl._

**Get those filthy thoughts out of your mind Steven Rogers. I am not dressing up as a girl for you, you filthy pervert.**

_But…_

**NO!**

~*~

_Now on top of all the shows around the country they also want me to star in movies. I'm being sent to Hollywood!_

**I'm not sure whether I hate you or feel sorry for you.**

~*~

It turns out making movies isn’t all that fun. It takes ages and I've been spending hours just running across a small stage with six other guys only to be told to do it again.

**I need to find these movies. This is my new mission in life**

_Please don’t._

~*~

_They’re sending me overseas as part of the USO tour. First stop is in Italy. Not quite the way I thought I would get to Europe, but it’s something, I guess._

**It’s a start. I can tell you that having some form of entertainment means a lot to the soldiers. At least there won’t be anyone pushing babies at you.**

_There are times I really hate you._

**No, you don’t, you love me. I'm too adorable for you to resist.**

~*~

_Well it turns out that having people shove babies at me it much better than what happened with the show today. I didn't even get to start the show before I was booed, mooned and had things thrown at me until I left the stage._

_You know for the longest time I've dreamed about coming overseas and being on the front lines, serving my country…finally got everything I've wanted…and I'm wearing tights._

**I bet your arse looks amazing in those tights.**

Steve laughed. He was sure Harry was right, and his fiancé didn't yet know about his new body. He couldn’t wait to see Harry again and show him this new body.

**Steve, I know it’s hard, but it will get better.**

~*~

_Harry, I know your busy and probably won’t get this message until much later, but I had to write to you before I go. I'm doing something stupid again, I'm sorry. I’ve found out that Bucky is probably dead (Merlin I hope not) while hundreds of others are being held captive behind enemy lines, and there is no plan to rescue them beyond winning the war. I can’t make them wait another two years before being free, I don’t know how many will still be alive then._

_I'm going to get them. Agent Carter has arranged for Howard Stark to fly me over. I don’t think it’s going to get me very far, but it will still get me closer much faster than I can run there. You can yell at me when I get back, because I will be back. I promised you I would never leave, and I refuse to break that promise to you. I just wanted you to know in case it’s a few days before I can write again. I love you._

Harry stared at the message Steve left him in the journal seething with anger. He didn't want to write back just yet. Even though he knew Steve would understand where the angry words were coming from, he still didn't want to write them down. Throwing the journal down on his bed as hard as he could Harry stormed out of his room, he needed a drink.

“Potter!”

Turning Harry came to attention when he saw who it was. “General Grant. What can I do for you sir?”

“Follow me.” Theodore Grant turned and guided Harry to the meeting room. He had been asked his opinion of the candidates and even with his bias everyone agreed that his grandson would be the best for this mission. “You’ve got another mission and it’s a big one. I can’t tell you more here, but I know that you are the best choice we have.”

“Thank you. When did you start working with the ICW?”

“After President Adams called me in and forced me to take up my stars again, he decided I would be best to work with the ICW. They were asking for an American general to join their war council and Smith knows that all our current generals are bunch of political idiots. So here I am, and here we are.” Opening the door Theodore ushered Harry into the meeting room.

“Welcome Major Potter. You have been chosen for a special task. Your track record speaks volumes and we believe that you are more than capable of succeeding, regardless of America’s ridiculous laws against interactions with the non-magical people. The tesseract is one of Odin’s treasures left behind by the Asgardians for us to watch over. It has been found by a man named Johann Schmidt, the head of Hitler’s HYDRA division. We cannot allow this. We are sending you to England where you will join with the Strategic Scientific Reserve and work with them to retrieve the tesseract. We do not mind it being in the hands of the non-magicals, but it cannot remain in the hands of HYDRA. Permission has been granted for you to share our secret with the team you will be working with, though they will have to sign a secrecy contract. Any questions?”

“When do I leave and where will I be meeting them?” Inwardly Harry was cursing. He was supposed to be going on leave the next day and was planning to go and see Steve’s show.

“You will be meeting them a week from now on the eighth. I understand that you have a scheduled leave, however this takes precedence. You will be met outside the Leaky Cauldron by one of our squib agents currently working for the SSR. They will take you to the SSR’s headquarters where you will meet Colonel Philips. He will be your commanding officer for the length of this mission. Take all your belongings with you, we don’t know how long this will take and you will remain until the Tesseract is in allied hands or at the bottom of the ocean. Dismissed.”

Saluting the generals Harry left the war room and headed back to his room, he had packing to do.

~*~*~*~

A week later saw Harry outside the Leaky Caldron waiting for his contact. He couldn’t believe that he was in England again. He had purposely avoided coming back to England in his time with the ICW. Somehow in the last eight years New York had become his home and he could honestly not see himself moving back to England.

“Major Potter?”

Harry turned around at the voice. “Yes. I assume that you are my contact with the SSR?”

“Agent Marius Hill at your service. If you would follow me to the car, I’ll take you to HQ. Colonel Philips is expecting you. I will warn you though he is not happy with you being assigned to his task force.” Nodding, Harry followed the agent to a non-descript black car. When they both were in the car Hill began driving. Thankfully neither man was feeling overly chatty, so the ride was silent until they pulled up in front of a second-hand bookstore. “Follow me.”

Getting out of the car Harry followed the agent into a back room of the store where a secret door was hidden behind a set of bookshelves. Through the door was your typical military base. People were moving about quickly and with purpose, basically ignoring Harry and agent Hill. Staying close to the agent Harry followed him through the twists and turns of the base until they reached a set of double doors. Standing in front of the doors was an older gentleman who seemed to have mastered resting bitch face.

“Colonel Philips, this is Major Potter. He’s the special agent sent from the higher ups.”

“Thank you, Hill. That will be all.” Saluting the Colonel Hill turned and disappeared into the crowd of people. “Major Potter. I'm not sure who thought we needed you, but the Generals seem to think we do. I have gathered the team you will be working with.”

“Thank you, Colonel. I understand that the higher ups haven’t given you a choice with my appointment, but I assure you I will be of help with this mission.”

“We shall see about that Potter.” Turning around Philips opened one of the doors and entered a conference room, leaving Harry to follow behind. “Make sure you close the door Potter. Even among a top-secret agency we still have need of secrecy.”

Closing the door behind him Harry took in the room. it was much larger than he expected for such a small meeting, clearly it was meant to house a much larger group. The celling was a series of arches, clearly holding up the buildings above. One wall was covered in bookcases and filing cabinets while the one across was covered in maps. The wall directly across from the doors was covered by one large map of Europe. While there were a few small desks scattered around the edges the middle of the room was filled by one large map covered table. Two tables had been moved together and had seating for ten.

Sitting around the table were six men while another stood talking with a woman. “Right. This is Major Hadrian Potter who is apparently going to help take down Hydra. Potter, this is the team you will be working with, or at least most of them. Where is Captain Rogers?”

“Still in my lab trying on his uniform. He was having some trouble with it and wanted to work it out by himself. Should be here soon though.” The man standing answered. “He said to start without him if that is allowed.”

Sighing Colonel Philips nodded. “Fine. Potter this is our science consultant Howard Stark and beside him is Agent Peggy Carter.”

Shaking hands with Stark, Harry turned to Carter with a large smile on his face. “Agent Carter that punched out a Private Hodge back in June?” Harry held out his hand to shake hers.

“I did. How do you know about that?”

“A friend of mine told me about it.” _It looks like I’ll be able to see Steve sooner rather than later. Hang on, didn't Philips ask about a Captain Rogers? Maybe that’s Steve!_ Harry was excited and couldn’t wait to see his fiancé.

“A friend? May I ask who?” Peggy was worried. Clearly someone was telling secrets they shouldn’t be. Granted her punching out Hodge isn’t that important, but who knows what else this friend could have told this Potter.

“Of course, you can ask.” Harry flashed her his most charming smile. “I might even tell you…eventually. But first who are the rest of the team?” Peggy glared at the Major and Stark who was laughing. 

“Let me introduce you to the rest of the team. I think Peggy and Philips are a little mad at you.” Howard was still laughing a little as he gestured to the rest of the team. “This is Sergeant Timothy Dugan, but we all just call him Dum Dum. Next to him is Gabe Jones, then Jim Morita. On the other side is James Falsworth or Monty, he was part of the British Third Independent Parachute Brigade. Then there is Jacques Dernier, a member of the French Resistance our explosive’s expert. Last and definitely least is Sergeant James –”

“Bucky?” Harry stared in shock. In Steve’s last note he said Bucky was thought to be dead.

“Harry? Holy shit! You’re here and you’re a Major! Steve’s going to lose his shit.” Bucky got up and hugged his brother.

“So, Steve is here. That’s good. He told me you were dead what the hell happened?” Harry punched Bucky in the arm while glaring at him.

“My entire unit was captured by Hydra back in October.” James rubbed his arm. He forgot just how hard his little brother hit. “Problem was they were holding us behind the lines, and it was too dangerous to send a rescue mission. They didn't know how many of us were captured and it was assumed we were dead.”

Harry nodded. “Steve found out and decided to play hero. Sounds right. Remind me I owe him a punch too.”

“You haven’t seen Steve, recently have you?” Bucky laughed, knowing the answer. He couldn’t wait to see Harry’s reaction to Steve’s transformation.

“No, I haven’t seen him since mid June. Why?”

“No reason.”

“You’re such a prat.” At the table Falsworth and Carter were laughing. “Finally,” Harry smiled gesturing to the other Englishmen. “Someone who understand the English language.”

Reaching over Bucky pulled Harry into a head lock. “You are such a brat.”

Clearing his throat Philips glared at the pair. “If you are done perhaps, we can continue.”

“Of course, Colonel. My apologies.” Pushing Bucky off him Harry reached for his briefcase and pulled out nine contracts and blood quills. Handing them to the others Harry leaned against the table. “Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything until you sign these secrecy contracts. You won’t need any ink for the quills, just sign quickly and don’t mind the sting.” Harry watched as each one read over the contract and examined the quill. Bucky barely glance over the contract before signing.

Howard on the other hand was going over the contract with a fine-tooth comb. “What happens if any of our decedents have a similar problem?”

“Then they would be required to sign that same contract if it is deemed necessary.”

“Can the contract be altered? I would prefer if we added an addendum that would include my decedents in it.”

Thinking it over Harry pretended to go through his briefcase while writing a note in his communication journal with the ICW. Thankfully they had someone watching it constantly today, knowing that he was contacting the SSR and signing contracts today. Immediately a new contract came through with the new addition. “I think we have one of those already.” Harry handed the new contract over. Reading the contract over Howard nodded and signed.

“Do we need to wait for the Captain?” Dum Dum asked as he rubbed his hand. “Or do we get to know why we signed these contracts in blood now.

“No, there is no need to wait for Steve. He already knows.” Harry looked over at Bucky and gave his brother a small grin. “Now that you’ve signed, I won’t be breaking the law telling you.”

“Tell us what.” Philips was getting annoyed. All this secrecy bullshit was getting on his nerves.

Bucky cringed when he saw the evil smirk on Harry’s face. He knew that smirk, and it never meant anything good. “The truth Colonel is that,” Harry pulled out his wand, summoned all the contracts back to his briefcase and sent the briefcase back to ICW headquarters. “Magic exists. I work for the ICW, which is the International Confederation of Wizards and have also worked for MACUSA, the Magical Congress of the United States of America.”

“You’re shitting us.” Dum Dum looked from Harry to the other’s sitting around the table.

“I am not.”

“So, you’re a what…wizard? I mean I’ve seen the same show in Vegas.” Howard pointed at Harry’s wand.

“Exactly. I am a wand waving, potion making, pointy hat wearing, broom riding wizard.”

Dum Dum laughed. “Yeah, right. You gonna wave that stick and turn me into a frog?”

“What a wonderful idea.” Whispering a spell and waving his wand Harry turned Dum Dum Dugan into a large African bull frog. Everyone else jumped up in shock.

“What the hell?” Falsworth exclaimed.

“I was just doing what he suggested. Perhaps I should undo it after all I don’t think any of you are willing to kiss him. Now can all sit and discuss this?” Not waiting for them to answer Harry reversed the spell and sat at the head of the table. “Tea, coffee?” With another wave of his wand Harry summoned a tea and coffee set he saw sitting on one of the smaller desks. After serving everyone Harry took a sip of his tea and let out a small sigh.

“I'm going to apologize in advance. This is the first time I’ve had to explain this to a no-Maj.”

“A what?” Howard was confused and didn't like it.

“No-Maj…no magic…you. I also tend to use the British term which is muggle. It means the same thing. There are pure-bloods, half-bloods like me, the muggle-born and squibs. The muggle-borns are people with magic whose parents have no magic, while the squibs are people with limited to no magic whose parents have magic.” Harry shot Bucky a quick glance. “Mum was a squib.” Bucky nodded in shocked understanding and Harry continued his explanation. “Not that any of that really matters for this. What matters is that with magic I can help you in your mission to take down Hydra.”

“Tu me dis que tu peux exploser avec ce baton,” Dernier stated looking disbelieving.

“What did he say?” Jim asked, he thought he knew but wanted to be sure.

“You’re telling me you can blow shit up with that stick?” Gabe translated. The other men all perked up. They all liked the idea of being able to blow things up.

“Yes, I can.”

“Bullshit.” Jim stated.

Thinking back on some of their exploits and pranks they pulled Bucky was sure he had found an explanation for some of Harry’s more mysterious actions. “I really think he can,” he whispered to Jim.

“If he can I want to see it.” Jim whispered back.

“I'm with Jim on this.” Dum Dum leaned back in his chair. “There’s no way in hell you can blow something up with that little stick of yours.”

“I assure you Dugan, not only can I blow something up, I can control a person or even kill them with a single spell.”

“That’s all well and good, but you still haven’t blown anything up.” Falsworth slowly sipped on his tea with a smile on his face.

Sharing a smile with his brother Harry shrugged. “Does anyone have something they would like to volunteer to be destroyed?”

Reaching over Dum Dum grabbed Dernier’s flask and tossed it at Harry. “Here blow this up.”

“Okay.” Enlarging the flask Harry levitated it over to an open area behind the table. “ _Bombarda_.” 

“Hell Yes! That was great! Do it again!”

“I think I’ll save any more explosions for Hydra. _Reparo_.” Levitating the now repaired flask back to Dernier Harry settled back into his chair.

“What else can you do?” Howard asked feeling excited. He needed to see what else magic could do so he could harness it into his designs.

“Pretty much anything. Though magic won’t help you with any of your experiments. Magic plus technology equals explosion, and not the good kind either. But, as far as impressive magic goes…” focusing on his magic Harry called forth his animagus form. Shaking out his feathers he hopped up onto the back of his chair.

“Harry?” Bucky asked. In response Harry flapped his wings and after a quick circle of the table landed on Bucky’s shoulder. Reaching over Harry gently nibbled on Bucky’s ear. Not fully believing that the bird on his shoulder was in fact his brother Bucky reached up and gently petted the bird’s chest.

“I'm sorry I'm late Colonel. It took me a while to figure out all these straps.” Steve entered the meeting room still adjusting his new uniform. Taking in the shocked and amazed looks on his team’s faces Steve searched for the cause and froze when he saw what, or rather who was sitting on Bucky’s shoulder. “Starfeather?” In a daze Steve took a couple steps closer just to be sure he wasn’t seeing things.

Harry couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It sounded like Steve and it smelled like Steve, but last time he saw his fiancé the man was much smaller. Not that he was complaining. This new body was very good looking, and he had to admit it would be nice to be smaller than Steve again. Taking flight Harry flew over and landed on Steve’s now much larger shoulder. Leaning close Harry gently groomed Steve’s hair, just like Hedwig used to do to him. “It is you.” Steve whispered as he ran his hand down Starfeather’s chest. “We match now.” Looking down Harry noticed the large star in the middle of Steve’s chest and laughed, as much as a bird can.

Needing to physically talk to the other man Harry flew to the ground and transformed back. “What the hell happened to you?” He demanded.

Grinning cheekily Steve shrugged a shoulder. “I joined the army.”

“Joined the army? That’s what you’re going with. You utter pillock.” Flicking his wrist Harry had Steve hanging upside down by his ankle.

“Harry –” Steve tried to explain himself, but Harry silenced him.

“What happened?” Harry asked Bucky.

“I can answer that if you want.” Peggy had been watching Steve and Harry closely. She could see there was something going on between the two. Ignoring his fiancé dangling Harry just nodded to Carter, knowing he was too angry to talk. “We had been working with Dr. Erskine for a number of years to develop the super soldier serum.”

“Wait, Abraham Erskine, the German scientist?”

“Yes. He had been working for the SSR for the last three years.”

“I know. Abraham Erskine is a squib. He came to the ICW in the thirties with an idea about creating a potion that would unlock a squibs magic and increase their physical strength. Unfortunately, a lot of our own…um…scientists I guess, didn't think his idea would work. Mostly because he is a squib, I think. I didn't know he was working with muggles.”

“He and Howard worked together to develop the serum over the last couple years. It was Erskine that selected Steve for the project.”

“Of course, he did. Erskine would have realized Steve has magic and would be the best to take the serum.” Sighing Harry rubbed his face and cancelled the spells on Steve, purposely dropping him on the floor. Bucky and the others laughed at Steve’s crumpled form.

“Thanks Harry. Glad you remembered the cushioning charm.” Steve grunted as he stood.

“Potter. Make time to talk with Stark about equipment. Rogers take Potter and show him to his quarters. You all have one week to prep then you’re being sent out on your first mission. Dismissed.” Philips got up and left the conference room. He couldn’t believe what had happened, now on top of Hydra and Red Skull he had to deal with wizards. This was going to take some getting used to.

“If you’re available later today Potter we can go over uniform ideas and any weapons you might need.” Howard stood and gathered up some papers from the large table.

“Call me Harry. And yes, I can come by after lunch if that works.”

“Howard then. After lunch works for me. Have Steve or Bucky show you to my lab when your ready. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get back to my lab and start working on your uniform.”

“Come on Harry,” Steve gestured to the door Howard just left through. “I’ll show you to our little corner in this maze.” Together the two men left the others behind. It was all Steve could do to keep his hands to himself as they walked through the halls. Thankfully there always seemed to be someone down each hall until they came to a small hallway that ended in a room that reminded Harry of his common room back in school. It had a small collection of chairs with a couple couches sitting around a low table.

There were five doors leading off the common. Steve gestured to the one door by itself. “That’s the bathroom. Nothing fancy, just a row of shower stalls, sinks and a couple johns.” Pointing to one set of doors he continued. “Bucky and Falsworth share one room, while Dum Dum and Jim share the one across from them and Gabe and Jacques are in the one beside them. I have the room beside Bucky’s, so I guess you’ll have to share with me.” Smiling at his fiancé Steve guided Harry into his room. Not bothering to make sure the door was closed Steve pushed Harry up against the wall and proceeded to kiss him senseless.

Peggy watched the two men leave the conference room together with no small amount of curiosity. She knew there was something between them. Wanting to know what was going on she followed them at a distance. She could see how they gravitated towards each other, only to jump apart the moment another person walked by. When they reached their quarters, Peggy waited behind the corner, listening to Steve talk. Hearing a door open she slowly came around the corner, watching for any movement. Making her way further into the common area Peggy noticed one door partially open. Knowing that it was one of the bedrooms and not the loo she quietly made her way over.

Harry grunted as his back hit the wall, he wanted to tell Steve to wait so he could put up wards but didn't get the chance. Steve’s lips were instantly on his stealing his breath. It had been so long since he had felt Steve’s hands on his body that he forgot about the importance of putting up wards. Pulling away from Steve’s lips when he needed air Harry’s neck was then attacked. “Oh Merlin Steve. Fuck!”

Steve sucked another mark into Harry’s neck before he pulled away. “That’s kind of the point Harry. You don’t need to be anywhere until after lunch. That’s plenty of time for me to ravish you. It’s been far too long since I’ve had you under me.”

Peggy crept closer to the open door determined to find out what was going on. Peering into the room she immediately covered her mouth to muffle her gasp. There in the room Steve had Harry pressed against the wall kissing him. Hearing them talk Peggy couldn’t keep herself quiet, especially after Steve's comment about having Harry under him.

Hearing a gasp Steve dropped Harry and quickly moved away. “Peggy! What…what are you doing here?”

Smiling at Steve’s discomfort Peggy entered the room, closing the door behind her. “Next time make sure the door is closed before you start attacking the Major."

“You’re…not going to report us?” Harry asked as he came to stand next to Steve.

“No. I don’t think I am. Though I am going to need an explanation for this.” Reaching over she pulled out a chair and sat down. Raising her eyebrow at the men she stared them down when they just continued to stand there.

“Oh, right now. Okay…sure.” Pulling Harry with him Steve sat down on the bed. “So, um…”

Laughing Harry patted Steve’s thigh. “Don’t strain yourself babe. Steve and I met in ninteen-thirty-five when he had Bucky drag my bleeding arse home for his mum to fix up. Sarah took me in after finding out I had no where to go. Steve asked me out about a month later. We’ve been together since.”

Steve wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulders. “I asked Harry to marry me the day before the procedure.”

“That’s not legal. If you two are found out, you will be killed.”

“It’s not legal in the muggle world. It’s perfectly legal and normal in the magical world, where we will be getting married and may even live after the war.”

Sighing Peggy rubbed her leg. “We’ll have to find a way to either keep this quiet, I suggest only letting a few people know. For now, I think it best we let everyone believe Steve is interested in someone. The public will be quite upset if Captain America doesn’t have a girl.”

“That’s true. And if people think I'm with someone it will keep the boys from constantly trying to set me up. Who do you suggest?”

“Me. I already know about you two, so I don’t expect anything to come of it. Besides that, I have heard rumours that you fancy me, a few of the girls have been asking if you had asked me out yet. This way if you two want some privacy you can let me know and I can disappear for a while, so everyone assumes that Steve and I have wandered off together.”

“Are you sure your okay with this?” Steve asked. Peggy was about to answer but noticed that he wasn’t looking at her. Steve was staring intently at Harry, clearly needing to be certain that his fiancé was alright with their deception.

“Steve,” Harry reached up and took Steve’s face in his hands. “I know it’s just a ruse to keep them off our scent. I know you have no romantic feelings for Peggy. This is a good idea. We’ll figure out a way to let the rest of the team in on our secret but for everyone else this is what they need to believe.” Kissing Steve’s nose Harry let go of his face and smiled at Peggy. “Thank you. I know you could have turned us in instead of covering for us. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s alright. A friend of mine in school was like you. I caught him once with his boyfriend, freaked them out as well. I had known him since we were very small, so I knew there was no way he was anything like others said those…types of people were like.”

Harry laughed at how awkward Peggy sounded. “Homosexual or if you want where I come from, we’re called gay. Not happy gay though.”

“What do you mean where you come from? I though you grew up in England before moving to New York?”

“Yes, I did…but, ah fuck it. I'm from the future. I was born in ninteen-eighty and in ninteen-ninty-five I was in a duel with an evil wizard and somehow ended up in New York ninteen-thirty-five. We still don’t know how it happened. In the future people who are attracted to the same sex are called gay.”

Peggy sat there gaping at the boys like a fish out of water. “Ninteen-ninty-five…the future. What about the war? Do we win?”

“I am speaking English, aren’t I?” Harry laughed a little. “I can't give you many details, mostly because I left muggle school when I turned eleven and we hadn’t covered much of the war yet. But we do win.”

“That’s wonderful. We need to find a way to let the men know. I know it will boost moral to just know that we will win in the end.” Getting up Peggy quickly headed for the door. “Is it alright if I talk with Howard and the Colonel about this?”

“Yeah of course. Tell them that if they want, I will talk with them more after lunch when I go to see Howard.” Without a second though Peggy was gone through the door, racing off to find the Colonel and Howard leaving a laughing Harry and Steve behind.

Leaning over Steve gently pushed Harry down onto the bed. “Now, where were we?”

Waving his wand Harry shut and locked the door before putting up a few wards. “I believe you were about to introduce me to this wonderful new body of yours.” Reaching up Harry ran his hands down Steve’s muscled chest. He wanted to touch his skin so much and really feel those muscles, but he knew that they didn't have enough time for him to get the damn suit off.

Steve closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Harry’s hands running over his chest, even through the uniform. When he opened his eyes, everything froze for him. With everything going on and all the time that had passed Steve had forgotten about his vision being fixed, but now he was staring into Harry’s eyes. His vibrant Avada green eyes. It was like electricity had shot up through Harry and lit up his gorgeous eyes.

“Steve?” Harry had been enjoying touching Steve’s new body but then his fiancé froze. Harry wasn’t sure what he had done wrong to make the other man react like that. “Are you okay?”

Hearing Harry calling out to him knocked Steve back into the present. Feeling Harry laying stiffly under him Steve blinked a few times. “You’re eyes. I’ve never seen such a beautiful green before.”

Smiling Harry reached up and wrapped his arms around Steve pulling him close. All thoughts of sexy time flew out the window. Instead the two lovers spent the hour reconnecting on a deeper level. Though there was a silent promise of a physical reconnection that night.

Straightening each other out the pair finally left their room and headed for the mess hall. After collecting their food Steve led Harry to the team’s table. “Welcome to the Howling Commandos.” Steve sat at one of the two empty chairs, leaving Harry to sit between him and Bucky.

“Howling Commandos? Who came up with that name?” Harry asked.

“No idea.” Bucky leaned over to steal some of Harry’s fries, only to be hit with a fly swatter. “Ow. What the fuck.” Looking over he saw Harry holding the swatter in one hand while eating his fries in the other. “Where the hell did that come from?

“I transfigured my spoon the moment I sat down. You always steal our food.” The rest of the table was laughing hard enough they had to stop eating for the time. “So, the name?”

“We were assigned it. I don’t know who came up with it but I'm sure that Howard had some part in picking it out.” Steve chuckled. He was the only one to retain the ability to eat, being used to Harry and Bucky’s antics. “Hurry up and eat you two. Harry has to see Howard about equipment and that is going to take long enough without him answering all the questions Howard not doubt has about magic.”

Harry groaned at the thought. He barely knew the scientist and he already knew that working with him was going to be an experience in and of itself. Finishing up his lunch Harry sat and enjoyed listening to his new team talk among themselves. Though they had only been together as a team officially for a week, most had known each other from being held by Hydra. When Steve was finished, he took both his and Harry’s trays back then motioned for Harry to follow. 

Getting up Harry walked with Steve down the halls trying to memorize all the twists and turns so he wouldn’t get lost later. Unknown to the two officers, the rest of the commandos tried to follow quietly behind; none of them wanted to miss Howard trying to make magic work for him and they all wanted to see what their newest member’s uniform will be.

“You know they’re following us right” Harry whispered to Steve with a smile. He knew everyone was curious about Howard’s ideas, hell he was curious.

“Of course, they are. They all want to see what Howard comes up for you, after what he created for me.”

“Oh yes, the walking flag outfit. Very subtle.” Steve reached out and smacked Harry on the shoulder. “Why are they all so excited, its not like Howard is going to have my uniform ready.” 

“There is a very good chance that he already does. It didn’t take him long to create mine once we agreed on a design.”

“Wait, wait, wait. You agreed to wear this?”

“Shut up my uniform’s fine. Bucky likes it.”

“Bucky liking it is never a good sign. We both know that. Perhaps you should rethink the outfit.” Both men laughed knowing that Bucky wasn’t far and could hear everything they said.

“Remind me why I was glad to see you here.”

“Don’t worry I will.” Harry whispered to Steve, letting him know exactly what he meant. He was slightly regretting not being able to get under Steve’s uniform earlier, but that could wait until night when they would have hours alone.

Cleaning his throat, Steve was glad for the extra padding Howard had insisted on as it hid his raging erection. “That sounds like a plan.” Gesturing to the large set of double doors he was thankful they had finally reached Howard’s lab. “Here we are. This is Howard’s lab, be careful going in there. He always has things exploding, and I’m sure that he’ll try and get you to show him more magic in there.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. I know better than to do magic in a no-Maj lab.”

Opening the door Steve guided Harry in before closing the door behind them, shutting the rest of the commandos out. Hearing the door close Harry laughed. “Did you really have to shut the door on them?”

“Yes. Yes, I did. It’s crowded enough in here without those bumbling apes trying to get in the way. Howard!”

“Well hello there boys. I'm glad you made it. I think I’ve got something really special here. I’ve making this using the same carbon polymer that I used for the rest of the commandos. I’ve got the proto-type ready for you in the side room.” Howard led Harry over to a small room off to the side of the lab. “Yours is a lot simpler than Steve’s to put on so it shouldn’t take long.” Leaving him to it Howard went back to his experiments.

In the room Harry found a mass of black fabric hanging on the wall. Shrugging he pulled it down and looked it over. _It looks alright, could be better in dragon hide. I should see if I can get enough to use for all our uniforms, at least for lining._ Putting on the uniform he was surprised to find a snakeskin masquerade mask hanging underneath the uniform. Shrugging he put it all on and looked at himself in the mirror on the wall.

It was a simple uniform, black pants and boots, with a white collared shirt. A brocade back vest was worn over while there was a Victorian style coat. Over it all was a long, hooded black cloak. With the mask it reminded Harry of the phantom of the opera. _I wonder if that’s what Howard was going for. Let’s see what the others think of this._

Leaving the room Harry found that the rest of the commandos had forced their way into the Howard's lab and were bothering Howard and Steve. Smirking to himself Harry made his way to where the men were standing, making sure none of them saw him. Creeping up Harry reached out and grabbed Dum Dum’s shoulder. “BOO!”

Steve was sure he had never heard a grown man shriek like that before. Once he had calmed his raging heart, he could admit that Harry had gotten them all good. “Merlin Harry, don’t do that.”

“Fuck, you’re like some kind of phantom there Potter.” Dum Dum said with a hand over his heart.

“That’s it!” Howard cried out. “That will be your code name.”

“Howard what are you talking about?” Harry pulled off his mask and lowered his hood.

“If we need to keep magic a secret, then you need to stay hidden, hence the style of your uniform. Steve has decided to keep the name Captain America and you’ll need a code name as well.” Howard turned in a circle with his arms out. “Captain America, Phantom and the Howling Commandos!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I would add a list of what each of the guys call one another as I forgot to add it after the last chapter.  
> Steve calls James Jerk, Harry Imp and Jared Numpty (Scottish for idiot)  
> James calls Steve Punk, Harry Brat and Jared Brodie (30’s slang for mistake)  
> Harry calls Steve Pillock, James Prat and Jared Plonker (Idiot)  
> Jared calls Steve Twit, James Moron and Harry Gremlin  
> I tried really hard to write the lemon, but neither Steve nor Harry would let me :(
> 
> If you want to see what the bracelet Steve gives Harry this is the link  
> https://irisharchaeologyshop.com/collections/viking-bracelets/products/viking-wolf-bracelet
> 
> I think I'm making ok progress with the second story. I'm wondering if you want me to wait and finish the second story before posting it or should I start posting a week after this story is finished but I can't guarentee regular updates. Let me know what you all think.


	6. December 1943 – June 1944

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay...so this chapter is a collection of shot stories that take place between battles, mostly because I really suck at writing battle scenes. Hopefully this all makes sense.  
> Also a minor language warning as there is some F bombs being dropped.

A few days after Harry’s first fitting found the men out on the training grounds working on group movements when an owl flew down and landed on one of the structures. “What is that?” Dum Dum asked when they stopped their exercise.

“That is an owl.” Jim stated sarcastically.

“No shit jackass. What the hell is an owl doing here?”

“You didn’t ask that. You asked what it was, and I told you.”

Before the two men could get into a fight Steve stood between them, holding his arm out for the owl. “It’s probably a post owl. Magicals use owls to send letters and packages.” Checking the name on the letter Steve looked over the grounds for his fiancé. “Harry! You have an owl!”

Harry jogged over quickly. “Oh, good. I was hoping they could send me the uniforms quickly.” Holding out his arm Harry waited for the owl to fly over to him. Untying the package from the owl’s leg he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of jerky from the stashed bag he had grabbed that morning and offered it to the owl. “Here you go. Thank you for bringing this.” Taking the offered food, the owl took off quickly.

“What did you get Harry?” Bucky asked as he and the rest of the team gathered around the wizard.

Reading through the note Harry smiled. “I wrote to the ICW and asked them to send us protective gear.” He held up the tiny box for the others to see. “They were able to send under armour for all of you in the best dragonhide.”

“Dragonhide? Like real dragons?” Falsworth asked looking amazed.

“Yes, dragons are real. They have preserves for them in several countries to protect them and keep the muggles from spotting them. The workers gather all the shed hide, scales, teeth and claws then sell them to potion masters, apothecaries and tanneries. Dragons are only cut up for more intimate ingredients, like their heart string, after they have died.”

“Wait, are unicorns and mermaids real as well?” Gabe shared a look with the rest of the team, feeling excited. He and Jim seemed to be the most accepting of magic besides Bucky.

Harry and Steve laughed. “Yes. Unicorns, mermaids, fairies, Vela, sirens, ghosts, trolls, goblins, phoenix you name it, it probably exists.” 

“What about big foot?” Dum Dum asked sarcastically. “Does big foot exist?”

“Of course,” Steve answered with all seriousness. “Though they preferred to be called Sasquatch. If I remember correctly, they rebelled in 1892 and forced MACUSA to move their head quarters from Washington to New York.” 

“You’ve got to be kidding?”

“No,” Harry turned to Steve and smiled. “Remember that Broadway show granddad took us to see?”

“Yeah, Bigfoot’s Last Stand. That was an interesting show. I think granddad really regretted taking us to see that one.”

"Wait, wizards have Broadway?"

"Why wouldn't they? Magicals have many of the same things that no-Maj have. Mostly, because they stole the idea and adapted it to work with magic." Harry explained with a smile. He was enjoying having muggles that were curious about magic in a good way. "Why don't we head back, and you can all try on the dragon hide suits?"

The men were all quick to jump on that idea and raced one another back to their barracks. Harry was quick to hand out all the protective gear and try to explain how to wear it before the men bolted to their rooms. Shrugging Harry went into his and Steve's room to give his fiancé his set. A little while later Harry was debating if he was regretting helping Steve with his outfit or not.

Currently Harry was pinned against the wall of their room, his shirt missing. Steve had stripped down to his skivvies and was pressing up against his fiancé kissing the life out of him. Harry wasn’t sure how long they had been snogging for, but he was quite ready for it to go onto the next level. _After all I did use magic to join the two small beds together into a much larger bed, why let it go to waste?_

“Hey you two! What’s taking so long?” Bucky yelled through the closed door.

 _Oh yeah. That’s why we can’t use the wonderful bed, the rest of the team are waiting for us._ Pushing Steve away from him Harry walked towards the door, trying to straighten his hair and look for his shirt. Opening the door a crack, he smiled at his brother. “Hey Buck. Sorry, Steve is having a bit of a hard time getting into the suit. Shouldn’t be more than another minute.”

Looking the younger man over Bucky shook his head and sighed. He knew exactly what was taking them so long. “Um hum I'm sure he is. Just hurry up alright the rest of the team is ready and starting to ask questions. At the very least you need to come out.”

Nodding Harry glanced back at Steve who was pulling on the pants. “Just give me a second to straighten myself out then I’ll be right there.”

Bucky shook his head. “That’s fine, but I'm staying right here. I'm not leaving you two alone, you’ll just start back up again.”

Laughing Harry went in search of his shirt. Thankfully it didn’t take him long to find it as he was sure Bucky would kill him if he took much longer. “Okay, all ready to help out. Let’s go.” Stepping out of his room Harry headed to where the others were waiting for him. Each man was in a different colour of dragon hide. “Well, well. Look at you all. You almost look like wizards,” Harry laughed.

“Why are they all different colours?”

“Because they are all from different breeds of dragons.”

“There are different breeds of dragons?” Gabe looked impressed.

“Of course, there are different breeds. You Gabe are wearing a Peruvian Vipertooth. Dum Dum has a Chinese Fireball, Monty is wearing a Common Welsh Green. Bucky has a Ukrainian Ironbelly. Jacques, you have the hide of a Swedish Short-snout. Jim you got a Hebridean Black.”

“What’s mine?” Steve asked as he joined the team.

“You got the same as me. Hungarian Horntail.”

“Wait,” Steve sat down beside Harry looking concerned. “Isn’t that the same dragon you faced at fourteen in the tournament?”

“Yeah it was.”

“Wait. What’s this about you facing a dragon at fourteen?” Jacques asked.

“I was forced to enter into a tri school tournament. The first task was for each champion to get a golden egg from a nesting dragon mother with nothing but our wands. The second task forced us underwater for an hour to rescue a hostage. Our third task was a maze. The first person to touch the cup in the center of the maze was the winner.” 

“What the hell is wrong with the magical world? That they think making a fourteen-year-old fight in that kind of tournament is a good idea?”

“Trust me, I’ve asked myself that same question many times.” Harry paused, momentarily lost in the past. “You know,” he looked the team over quickly. “These outfits are designed to go under your uniforms. To really get a feel for them you should put your uniforms over top.”

Smiling the five men rushed off to put the rest of their uniforms over the dragon hide, leaving Bucky in the common with Harry and Steve. “Stevie why don’t you go and see if that uniform of yours will fit over the dragon hide. Harry can stay here with me. I don’t need you two getting distracted again.”

Laughing Steve held up his hands in surrender. “Okay. I get it. I’ll be quick.” Heading into his room Steve proceeded to argue with his uniform.

As soon as one of the other guys came out into the common Bucky went to get his uniform overtop the dragon hide. It didn’t take long for the rest of the team to join them. They sat there for a quite a while waiting for the Captain to join them. “Maybe I should go and check on him?” Harry suggested with a wink to Bucky.

“That’s alright. I’ll go check on him, he might need a little help with getting that uniform over the dragon hide. You should stay and make sure the rest of the team doesn’t need adjusting.” Not waiting for Harry to try and argue with him Bucky headed for Steve’s room. Opening the door Bucky stood there for a second before throwing his head back and laughing.

Hearing the laughter, the rest of the team came running, each one pushing and shoving to get a look at what Bucky was laughing at. When the men got a look, they all laughed. Monty grabbed hold of the doorframe to keep himself upright, across the hall Jacques was leaning against the wall while Dum Dum, Gabe and Jim all fell to the floor, they were laughing so hard, while Harry was clinging to Bucky in order to stay upright. In the room Steve was hopping on one leg, the other being stuck in his uniform’s leg along with part of an arm.

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up you assholes.”

“Maybe we need to get you a dragon hide girdle there Cap. Might help.” Monty smirked.

“I'm surprised you even got your fucking bicep in there.” Jim wheezed. 

“Might need to ease up on the weightlifting and the snacks…definitely the snacks.” Dum Dum

“Are you going to just stand there staring or are you going to help me?” Steve glared at them, though he was fighting a smile.

“Keep standing here. Definitely keep standing here.” Bucky chuckled.

“You know,” Harry wheezed out. “I think we might need to get Howard’s help with this. Have him alter the suit to include the dragon hide.”

“I hate you all.” Steve fought to get the uniform back off, but it was stuck tight to the dragon hide.

“What is going on in here? I could hear you all cackling from two corridors over. I thought you were all trying on some new protective gear.” Peggy stormed in in full big sister mode.

“Sorry Pegs.” Harry took a deep breath to calm himself and walked away from their room. “Everyone tried on their new dragon hide outfits, then it was decided to test them properly under the uniforms. Unfortunately, Steve’s uniform is a little…um…tight.”

Pushing Bucky out of the way Peggy stood in the doorway fighting a smile. “Oh. I see. I’ll tell Howard to expect you in his lab with both uniforms so he can properly alter them, as soon as you can get out of them of course.” Turning on her heel Peggy quickly fled the common. Once out of sight she allowed herself to laugh.

Steve was never living this down.

~*~*~*~

Peggy walked into the commandos’ common looking for Steve; somehow despite Harry being a higher-ranking officer Steve was the nominated leader of the commandos, that and Philip preferred dealing with Steve. She found all eight men were lounging around playing poker with what appeared to be jellybeans, until the round was over, and Bucky ate the single bean in the middle of the cards.

Jumping up Bucky raced for the open bathroom to spit out the bean in his mouth and rinse his mouth under the sink. “Jesus Fuck! That tasted like ass.”

“Had a lot of experience eating ass there Buck?” Dum Dum shot back, when he could breath again.

“What in the world are you boys doing?” Peggy demanded.

“Every flavour bean poker.” Harry explained. “Come join us for a few rounds. The loser has to eat the bean.”

Peggy sighed and quickly checked her watch. “Very well, but only for a few rounds.” Sitting down in Bucky’s empty chair Peggy accepted the cup of tea Harry levitated her way and allowed herself to be dealt into the next round.

After a few more rounds of watching the men eating horrible beans Peggy decided that enough was enough and that she was now running late for the meeting she and Steve were supposed to be in. Getting up she dragged Steve away leaving the others sitting around the common. After sitting around for a bit, they all decided they had enough of ass beans and settled down to just talk.

“So, I heard that Ward and Grey have been court marshalled and are going before the firing squad.” Dum Dum stated.

“What! Why?” Harry chocked on his drink. He had met both men and liked them.

“Oh yeah, I heard about that.” Falsworth added while Gabe patted Harry on the back. “They were caught together by the MP’s.”

“Together how?” Harry looked at his teammates confused. The others all seemed to know what Dum Dum and Falsworth were talking about.

“Like…together…together…naked.” Gabe seemed a little uncomfortable with the idea. Harry wasn't sure if it was the idea of two men together that made Gabe uncomfortable or the idea of two of their friends being shot.

“Oh.” _Well, I guess this is the best time to come out. And with Steve not here they don’t need to know that we’re together just yet, unless they take it really, really well._ Sharing a look with Bucky Harry decided to act dumb. “Were they caught on base?”

“No, from what I heard they were caught in some sleazy hotel.” Jim said feeling confused.

“Oh. Were they cheating on their partners with each other?”

“No…” Dum Dum shared a confused look with the others. None of them could understand why Harry was asking all these questions.

“Hun. So…why are they getting shot?” Harry’s head movements reminded Bucky of Starfeathers.

“Because, they’re queers.”

“So?” Harry couldn’t lie, he was having a great time messing with them. Beside him Bucky was trying hard not to laugh.

“Harry it’s illegal and wrong.”

Harry did another rather impressive bird impression with his head turn, looking at each of the men in turn. “Why?”

While Bucky was trying hard not to laugh and keep a straight face the rest of the room was lost. None of them could understand why Harry was having a hard time with this. “It’s wrong for two men to be together.” Dum Dum insisted.

“But why’s it wrong?” Harry found it interesting that while Dum Dum, Jim, Gabe and Monty all seemed confused and uncomfortable, Jacques, however, remained silent on the subject.

Feeling bad for the others and knowing Harry needed an in Bucky decided to help them out. “I think that people perceive it as being wrong because two men can't have a child together.”

“Oh, right. I keep forgetting that muggle men can't get pregnant.” _There,_ Harry thought with a grin. _Let them think on that for a minute._

“Wait. What did you say?” Gabe asked intrigued.

“I said that no-Maj men can't get pregnant.”

“That’s what I thought. You make it sounds like wizards can get pregnant.” Jacques stated with a smile.

“Exactly. Wizards can get pregnant, and I have every intention of doing so after the war.”

“But…I assume to get pregnant you need some...um…help…” Monty wasn’t sure what to think about this part of magic, though he liked the rest of it.

Harry laughed. “Yes, I do need a bit of help with that part. Thankfully, my fiancé is more than up to the task. It was his idea to wait until after the war before getting married and starting a family.”

“Wait. Did you say fiancé?” Bucky was angry. _Did that punk seriously propose and **not** tell him_?

“Yes. He proposed back in June. We decided with the war going on we would wait until it was over before getting married.”

“That jackass. He never told me. And you. Where’s the ring?” Bucky stood and demanded, holding his hand out to a laughing Harry.

“There is no ring Buck. I'm a guy. Just because I'm marrying another guy and like taking it up the arse doesn’t make me a girl. However, there is this.” Holding out his wrist Harry showed off his bracelet. “In the wizarding world when two men decide to get married one will give the other a bracelet or necklace instead of a ring which is seen as being more feminine.”

“I think I need a drink.” Dum Dum leaned over putting his elbows on his knees. The rest of the commandos were just sitting silently stunned. Understanding the shock, they were going through Harry summoned a bottle of whisky and glasses, pouring everyone a glass and levitating each glass to hover in front of the men.

“Are you all alright?” Harry was nervous. While they had all accepted magic quite easily, he suspected it was in part because of how much it helped them on the battlefield. This, however, would be no help in the battle so he wasn’t sure how it would sit with the rest of the team.

Dum Dum waved Harry off as he poured himself and the others another drink. Taking a small sip of his second drink Dum Dum looked up at Harry who was looking nervous and about to run. “How long?” he asked quietly.

Harry looked up confused. “How long what?”

“How long have you and your…fiancé been together?”

“Oh,” Harry smiled slightly. “Eight years. He asked me out a couple weeks before my fifteenth birthday.”

“You’ve been with the same person since you were fifteen?” Jim asked in surprise. “Damn. None of us have been able to keep a dame for longer than a few months. But how are you going to get married, that's completely illegal.”

“Not for wizards. It’s just as normal for two wizards, or two witches to be together as it is for a wizard and a witch.”

“Two…two witches…” Monty was staggered.

Laughing Harry shifted a little on the couch and brushed up against Jim who jumped like he had been shot. “Sorry, I didn’t…sorry.” Feeling uncomfortable in a way he hadn't felt since coming to the past Harry stood and put as much distance as he could between him and the team. “I don’t know if it helps, but there is no way I would ever push myself on any of you. One, because I'm in a committed relationship and would never cheat on my fiancé. Two, I don’t find any of you attractive in that way. I get it if you don’t feel comfortable with me around, I’ll stay away except for training exercises and missions.” Nodding to the men Harry turned and left the common.

Bucky watched his brother go feeling angry that Harry no longer felt welcome. “What the fuck guys?” he turned on the rest of the team. “Do you have any idea how hard that was for him to admit that? He’s saved each of your lives and this is how you thank him? You all need to get your heads out of your asses. Harry’s not suddenly going to jump you in your sleep alright. Like he said it’s different for wizards. For him it’s completely normal.” Shaking his head Bucky went in search of Harry.

Harry wandered through the corridors just letting his feet take him away from the condemning eyes of men he had come to respect. It hurt to be rejected for who he was again, though there was some comfort knowing that Steve and Bucky would still be there.

“There you are.”

Hearing a voice Harry turned and had to smile when he saw his brother. “Hey Buck.”

James walked up to the smaller man and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Let’s go take a walk while those idiots think things over. They may not be okay with it tonight, or even tomorrow, but I know they will get over whatever hang ups they have soon enough.” Taking comfort from the older man’s words Harry allowed himself to be led outside.

~*~

Steve returned from his meeting with Colonel Philips feeling a little drained. There were just so many things that went into planning these attacks and as the leader of the Commandos he was needed in these meetings. Now all he wanted was to relax in the common for a bit before retiring to his room with Harry.

His plans, however, went out the window when he entered the common and found Harry and Bucky missing while the rest of the team looked lost and confused. “What happened? Where did Harry and Bucky get off to?”

Gabe looked up at the Captain glad the man had returned. “Harry and Bucky left a while ago. I think Harry was upset.”

“What happened?” hearing that Harry was upset put Steve on edge. He needed to find out exactly what happened then he needed to find his fiancé.

“We were talking about Ward and Grey…”

Steve sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. “Harry told you, didn’t he?”

“Wait,” Dum Dum stood quickly, spilling his drink. “You knew that Harry was a fag and didn’t tell any of us?”

Steve glared at the Sergeant. “Yes, I know that Harry likes men. I also know that in the wizarding world it holds no stigma. I didn’t expect it to come up or be important, so I didn’t see the reason you needed to know.”

“Well, it would have been nice to know. What if he had come on to any of us?”

“Harry is engaged, I seriously doubt he would have tried anything with you.”

“How did you know he was engaged? And why aren’t you more upset about this?”

“If you remember Dugan, I am magical as well. It would be really hypocritical of me to be upset about this; after all I was named for my grandmother.”

“While that’s nice and all what does your grandmother Stephanie have anything to do with this?”

“My grandmother’s name was Stefanus and **he** has quite a bit to do with this.”

“He?”

“Yes, he. My mother’s parents were both male.” Steve supressed a smile at the shocked and disgruntled looks the team had on their faces.

"There you are Punk." Bucky stomped into the common glaring at his brother.

"Buck. Where's Harry?"

"I left him with Peggy. He's pretty upset but doesn't want to come back to his room with the guys here. He's worried about upsetting the team and has elected to remove himself from the common. Last I heard Peggy was taking him to see Howard’s newest invention."

"Good, he needs the distraction."

"That reminds me. I owe you something," pulling his arm back Bucky swung forward and punched Steve in the face.

"What was that for?" Steve held his nose. He was sure that the only reason his nose wasn't broken was because of the serum.

"You never told me about getting engaged you punk. What the hell? Since when do you keep secrets like that from me?"

"Sorry Buck. I didn't want to put it in a letter, then I found out about you being captured. In the rush of saving you guys, getting the team put together and meting back up with Harry, I guess I forgot. I honestly never meant to keep it a secret from you."

"Wait," Jim paled as he stared at his captain. "You're engaged as well?"

"Yes." Steve stared his team down, daring them to say anything.

"You're engaged to Harry, aren't you?" Jacques asked his captain.

"I am." Steve crossed his arms and waited for one of the men to say something against him.

The men were prevented from saying anything as Harry and Peggy returned. "Oh, sorry. I hope we're not interrupting anything," Peggy spoke softly knowing full well she was but didn’t care.

"No, that's fine Pegs. Thank you for keeping Harry company while I dealt with these issues. The team is now fully aware of my relationship with Harry. I was just about to tell them that you know and have agreed to cover for the two of us."

"What?" Dum Dum looked slightly offended. "Peggy, you knew about these two being together and didn't report it? Not only that but, you're covering for them?"

Peggy glared at the red head. "Yes Dugan. I see no problem with their relationship. Things are different in their world and I don't see the point of holding them to our standards. That being said, not many people will understand so I have agreed to pretend to date Steve, and before you ask it was all my idea." Shooting another glare Peggy turned, gave both Harry and Steve a kiss on the cheek then left.

Harry smiled after the agent for a second then turned serious. “Well, I’ve thought about it and I’ve come to a decision.” Flicking his wrist Harry summoned his wand to his hand. Immediately the rest of the team took a step back. “It makes no difference if the men know about us being together and it seems like it is pulling the team apart.”

“Harry,” Bucky eyed the wizard cautiously, like a wild animal. “What are you going to do?”

“If knowing that Steve and I are together is the problem,” Harry lifted his wand and pointed it level with Dum Dum’s forehead between his eyes. “Then I'm going to take that knowledge away. Problem solved.”

Standing Jacques looked Harry and Steve in the eye."l'amour c'est l'amour. Peu importe à quoi ressemblent les corps, juste ce que ressent le cœur." (Love is love. It doesn't matter what the bodies look like, just how the heart feels.

“Veux-tu vraiment dire que?” Harry looked at the French men in shock. (Do you truly mean that?)

“Oui. Mon frère aimait aussi les hommes. Nos parents n'ont eu aucun problème avec cela. Si vous et le capitaine êtes ensemble, je vous souhaite à tous les deux beaucoup de bonheur.” Walking over he shook both Steve and Harry's hands before grabbing Bucky's arm and heading for the door. (Yes. My brother liked men as well. Our parents had no problems with it. If you and Captain are together, I wish you both every happiness.)

“Jacques!” Harry called after him. “Merci. Cela signifie beaucoup pour moi.” Nodding Jacques silently left the area, pulling Barnes along with him. (Thank you. It means a lot to me.)

Using the distraction Steve reached out and pushed Harry’s wand arm down. “No Harry. You don’t need to erase their memories. We don’t need to be casting spells like that on our own teammates.” Gently Steve pulled Harry’s wand from his fingers, putting it into his pocket. Steve knew that while Harry could cast many spells wandless, he still needed it for precision spells. Steve brought Harry into a tight hug, not letting the smaller man escape nor get to his wand.

"Steve no. You shouldn't have done this. What if they kick you off the team?"

Leaning down Steve kissed the top of Harry's head. "Let them. If they honestly have that much of a problem with it then we'll leave. I'm sure the ICW can find work for Captain America." Pulling away he wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulders. “Come on, lets go for a walk. I need to find Bucky and apologise again before he decides to kill me in my sleep.” Glaring at the rest of the team Steve guided his fiancé out of their common leaving the men to their thoughts.

“Do you think we over-reacted?” Monty asked after a few minutes of quiet.

“I don’t know.” Gabe admitted. “It’s hard to wrap my head around it being okay, never mind that Harry can get pregnant.”

“That’s more than a little odd.” Jim admitted.

“What Pegs said is true though.” Monty added. “The wizarding world is different from our own. They have a different culture from us.”

“But it’s in the bible,” Dugan stated. He looked extremely shaken. This went against everything he believed.

“That’s true.” Monty and Jim nodded their heads in agreement.

“The bible is also against witchcraft. And I don’t think magicals believe in Christ…or even god for that matter.”

“I forgot about that. I don’t suppose it makes much sense for magicals to believe in Christ.”

“Does that matter?” Monty asked. “Do our beliefs matter in this? I mean Steve and Harry are our friends and leaders. We’ve been fighting together for a few months now and we’ve each saved each other lives. What does it matter who believes in what or what people do behind closed doors?”

The men sat in silence for a long time afterwards, each thinking things over.

~*~

Steve, Harry and Bucky didn’t return to the common until well after dark wanting to make sure that the rest of the team was asleep. The three men had decided to stay away from the rest of the team for the next few days to give them time to think things over. The men all went through the day-to-day motions for a week before anything was said. Surprisingly it was Dum Dum that first said anything.

“So,” Dugan stood and rubbed the back of his head. “I figured that it makes no difference what you two do behind closed doors.”

Harry just stared at the man, not quite sure what to make of his words. Beside him Steve wrapped his arm around Harry’s waist. “Are you sure Tim?” Steve really needed to know if Dugan was telling the truth. The last thing Harry needed was another person turning on him.

Hearing his first name Dum Dum paused. Looking the Captain over he realized that he was doing what any man would do when their partner is being threatened. Then it hit him, _we’re the threat. Steve is protecting Harry from us._ “Yes. I do mean it. Peggy pointed out that magicals are a different culture and that we can't judge it by our own. So…I'm not. I’ll be honest here and say that I don’t really understand and I'm not fully comfortable with it…but I refuse to let it get in the way of our team.”

“Thank you, Tim.” Harry smiled at the red head.

“He’s not the only one. We all agree with Dugan. You two are clearly in love and we won't do anything to make you uncomfortable. It will take some getting used to, but none of us will say anything about it.” Gabe offered the two officers a small smile with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Thank you all. I promise Steve and I will keep the touching to a minimum around you all.” Harry smiled at his teammates. He was glad that they were accepting of him and Steve. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if they, like so many others had turned on him. 

~*~*~*~*~

The men rushed in behind the Commandos, guns blazing. They were all prepared for the blue lights coming from the Hydra guns along with the regular gun fire; what they were not expecting were the differnt coloured lights coming from the wizards working with Hydra. The light streams came out of nowhere and took down a number of soldiers before Harry and Steve were able to throw up shields around the men.

Harry was quick to throw Steve his wand. They had discovered that Steve could use Harry’s wand with no issues and Harry was able to cast just as well without it. While the two men were curious as to why there was such a change in their magic, neither had the time nor the resources to find out. Steve did write to their granddad about it, hoping that the older wizard might know. So far thought they hadn't gotten a responce.

Holstering his gun Steve began shooting off spells trying to take out the enemy wizards as fast as possible. He was sure they had got all the wizards a few minutes later and tucked Harry’s wand into a special pocket Howard had made in his uniform’s leg and pulled his gun. It was one thing for him to fight magic against magic, but he was reluctant to use magic on muggles.

When he talked with Harry about it, Steve told his fiancé that he was scared that it would go to his head. Steve already had a bit of a tough time getting used to his new body and all the things he could do now. Not just things that he couldn’t do before, but the things he could do that no one else could (like lifting a motorcycle over his head with three chorus girls sitting on it), he didn’t want to lose himself in the power. Dr. Erskine had chosen him for a reason, and he wanted the man to be proud of him. Using magic against muggles was just one more thing that he could do very few other people could and one more thing to go to his head.

Across the battlefield Harry was dealing with the majority of the Hydra magicals. He was sure most of them had been dealt with when disaster struck. Harry had been dueling with one wizard when a second came out of no where and sent a curse at Dugan. The next thing Harry knew Dum Dum was on the ground screaming, missing a leg. Losing his temper Harry quickly shot an AK at both wizards before turning his attention to his fallen brother.

Immediately Harry cast a protective ward around himself and Dum Dum, the last thing he needed was to be attacked while trying to heal his friend. Slowly easing Dugan up so that he was propped against the buildings wall giving them one less way to be attacked from. Pulling potions out of his expanded pocket Harry lined them up beside Dum Dum in two clear rows. Then he turned his attention to Dugan.

“Dum Dum…Dugan…TIM!” Harry had to work hard to get the other man’s attention. “I need to try and pay attention to me okay?” It took a moment for Dugan’s eyes to clear and nod in understanding. “I need you to take these two potions right now. It will help, I promise.” As gently as he could Harry gave the injured man one each of the two potions. “This is where you need to pay attention. If you feel any pain, I need you to take the green one. If you feel dizzy or light-headed or that your going to pass out, take the red one. They are all right here beside your arm. I am going to try and fix your leg so I can't be helping you with this. Got it?”

Only when Harry was sure Dugan had understood and was coherent did Harry continue. “While I have put a protective ward around us, it won't stop anyone from getting close to us so I'm going to need you to cover us.” Picking up the man’s rifle he put it in Dugan’s hands. “Shoot anything that comes close that’s not one of ours. My guns on the other side of you with the ammo if you need it.”

Getting a good grip on the rifle Dugan nodded. “I’ve got this Harry. Don’t worry about it. Just…just do what you can.”

Smiling up at his brother Harry touched the man’s shoulder. “Trust me. I’ll have you up and chasing after the dames in no time.” Turning his attention back to the missing leg Harry began casting healing spell after healing spell.

Steve was giving it his all, trying to take down as many Hydra goons as possible while protecting his own men. He was horribly worried that he hadn’t seen Harry or Dum Dum since the wizards attacked but had to push it down. The last thing he needed was become distracted with worry on the battlefield. The fastest way to ease that worry was to deal with Hydra as fast as he could.

One last throw of his shield saw the last Hydra agent downed and instantly his worry took over. Putting his shield back in its holder Steve went in search of his team. This was one of the things he hated most about these large fights, the commandos usually got separated during them and he had to find them afterwards to make sure they were all alright. It was quick work to find Jac, Monty, and Bucky but the longer it was when the rest of the team was missing the worse Steve worried.

Gabe was the one to find him. “Cap, we got a small problem.”

“What’s wrong?” Steve was instantly on edge thinking that something had happened to Harry. He asked everyone and no one had seen him since the wizards first attacked.

“It’s Jim. He’s not injured but he is hurting.”

“Gabe. What happened?” Steve was getting frustrated and irate. Bucky noticed his brother’s twitchiness and placed a hand on his shoulder hoping to comfort him.

Gabe just shook his head and led the way to their missing teammate. Honestly, he didn’t really understand what had happened, but he knew Steve would. They didn’t have to go far to find Jim holding another soldier close. Steve knew immediately what had happened to the other soldier.

Sighing he went and knelt beside his brother. “Jim. You alright?”

Jim looked up at his captain with tears running down his cheeks. “I don’t know what happened. I didn’t even know he was in the one oh seven. I was fighting, then this green light comes at me and he’s pushing me down. The green light hit him, and he just fell.”

Gently Steve reached out and pulled Jim away from the dead soldier. “That green light is the killing curse. It kills whoever it touches instantly and painlessly. There’s nothing you could have done to save him.”

“He saved my life. The stupid idiot.”

“How do you know him? You know I'm not the best with names.” Steve tried to make his bother laugh or even smile but it didn’t work.

“He was my best friend growing up. Like you and Bucky, he was my brother. His name is Joe Sato. Our parents came over from Japan together and bought houses next to one another. I’ve known him my whole life.” Steve didn’t know what to say so he just sat in the mud beside his teammate and wrapped an arm around the other man’s shoulders.

While Steve was comforting Jim, Bucky went in search of his youngest brother. Talking with a few men he finally figured out where Harry was likely to be. Turning the corner of the building he paused taking in the sight before him. Paling, he turned and rushed back to where Steve and the others were. “STEVE! I found Harry and Dum Dum. I think they might need your help; Dum Dum looks badly injured.”

Instantly the team was on their feet ready to help their brother. Even Jim who was glad for the distraction, though he hoped that Dugan was going to be alright, he wasn’t sure he could stand to lose another friend today. Rushing around the building the men froze when they saw Harry and Tim. It was clear that Dugan had lost part of his leg and Harry was using magic to re-grow the limb. Seeing what was currently left of Dugan’s leg made them all feel queasy. Monty turned and lost his breakfast with Jim following beside him.

Slowly Steve moved forward, stopping at the edge of the wards. He could tell that Dugan was close to passing out but was fighting it to keep Harry safe. “Tim, it’s alright you can stand down. We’re here to help protect you both.”

Dugan looked up and gave his captain a small smile. “That’s good Cap. I don’t think I can…stay awake…long.”

“You’ve done your job and the battle is over. Rest, but try to stay awake for just a little bit longer.” Running his hands over the wards Steve allowed a bit of his magic to press against it, letting Harry know that he was there and to let him in. He could feel an opening appear in the wards and slowly made his way to where Harry was knelt next to Dum Dum’s leg. Looking the leg over he could tell that Harry was nearly finished. He could see the toe bones slowly being covered by veins, muscles and finally skin.

Harry lowered his arms and looked up at Dugan’s white face. “Can you wiggle your toes?” Biting his lip Tim concentrated on his new foot and moved his toes. “Good. Now, can you feel this?” Picking up a sharp rock Harry gently poked the new foot pleased when Tim hissed in pain and moved further up the leg. “That’s good, everything looks fine. Feel free to pass out now. When you wake up take it slowly to start with when walking and standing.”

Dugan nodded. “Would you guys mind helping me up? I’d like to not pass out until we are safe back in base.”

Moving quickly Monty and Gabe moved to either side of Dum Dum and slowly helped the other man stand. “Come on, let’s head to the transport truck and get you checked over." Monty took charge and corralled the men. "Jim, that goes for you as well. You need to get back to base. That way you can arrange for your brother’s body to be sent home or buried here.” With a nod from Bucky the rest of the team took Jim and Dum Dum back to their transport, leaving Bucky to look after their leaders.

“Harry,” Steve knelt behind the smaller man. “Are you alright Mo grá?” Harry nodded, but Steve noticed that his eyes were unfocused. Sure, enough Harry tipped over unconscious. Luckily Steve was anticipating it and caught his fiancé. Holding Harry close to his chest Steve stood with a little help from Bucky and together the men made their way to the transport. Climbing up into the back of the truck Steve cuddled Harry even closer.

“Is he alright?” Dum Dum asked looking very concerned.

Steve was surprised to see Dum Dum still awake. “Don’t worry he’ll be fine. Magical exhaustion that’s all. He’ll sleep for a few days, maybe a week then be alright.”

“That long?”

“Yeah. Usually re-growing a limb takes a team of five or more magicals working together. One re-grows the bones while at the same time another works on the muscles, the veins, tendons and skin. Harry used up most of his magic doing it by himself.”

“If one person can do it by themselves with a little sleep, why do they have five people working together?”

“Harry is exceptionally powerful. If a regular wizard tried to re-grow a limb alone like that it would kill them.” The rest of the team looked at Harry with a new-found respect.

It wasn’t long into their trip back that Dum Dum finally lost the fight and fell unconscious. The men were all expecting it and Jim was there to catch him, letting the other man lean against him. When they arrived, Bucky was quick to take Harry from Steve to allow the other man to jump down from the truck then handed the wizard back. On the other side of the truck Jim was passing Dugan down to Monty and Gabe to carry into their tent. Steve followed them and laid Harry down on their enlarged bed. The rest of the team gathered in the tent, wanting to watch over their brothers.

Not long after they returned Colonel Philips arrived with Peggy. “What in the ever-loving hell happened out there?”

“Wizards. We had no idea they were going to be there and were surprised by their attack. Harry and I were able to shield most of the men while fighting off the magicals.”

“Hydra had wizards fighting for them?” Peggy asked.

“Apparently. Though I'm not sure if they are working together. It’s odd really. The only wizards who might work with Hydra are Grindelwald’s followers, but they are all about magical purity and the enslavement of the non-magicals.”

“That doesn’t sound good. Why the hell would they be working together if they want to enslave us?”

“That’s just it, I'm not sure they were. I have a feeling they were having a meeting between the groups. Until the war is won, I think Grindelwald with work with Schmidt. Then once he is sure of his success Grindelwald will turn on him.”

“What happened to Dugan and Potter?”

“Dugan had his leg blown off by a wizard and Harry was able to re-grow it with spells and potions. Unfortunately, that is usually done with a group of magicals, so Harry had to use more magic then is considered healthy. Dugan is only passed out because of pain he should wake soon. Harry, however, is suffering from magical exhaustion and will remain unconscious until his core is able to replenish itself.”

“Will they both be alright?”

“Yes. They will both be fine. Harry will remain unconscious for a few days maybe a week.”

“I’ll see to it that your team is shipped back to England as soon as possible.” Philips sighed. It was never good when an alpha team was down. This team was closer than most and doing near impossible missions they needed some down time.

“I’ll go and talk with Howard. I'm sure he can fly the team back so we’re not losing any military resources.” Peggy offered. Philips was quick to agree, and Peggy was gone to find Howard and talk with him. Philips followed her out of the tent leaving the Commandos alone.

~*~

A week later and Harry was still sleeping. Everyone was starting to get worried, even Steve. During the week Harry was down the team tried to keep busy, running drills, filling out paperwork and helping Dum Dum get used to his new leg. Steve, however, barely left Harry’s side. Each of the commandos took it in turns to sit with their Captain and bring him food, not even Bucky could get Steve to leave for a short nap.

“How’s he doing?” Peggy asked as she put down a tray of food.

“The same.” Steve smiled at the woman he thought of as a sister.

“Do we need to have a doctor look him over?”

“No. He’ll be fine. Harry will wake up soon and he will be just fine.”

“How do you know?” Peggy asked. “You always seen so certain.”

“Yeah Cap. You two are a little weird like that. We’d all like to know.” Jim led the rest of the team into the common area. When they had arrived back in London the team had decided to settle Harry and Dugan on beds in the common so everyone could watch over them.

“You know I always wondered about you two.” Bucky admitted as he sat next to Steve. “You two seemed to instantly hit it off and you both always knew what the other needed.”

“Harry and I are soul bonded husbands.”

“You are what?” Monty asked.

“S-soul bonded husbands.” Harry croaked opening his eyes with a small smile.

“Harry! You’re awake. Thank Merlin.” Steve stood and took Harry’s hand in his own.

“How long was I out this time?”

“A week. You used up too much magic re-growing Dum Dum’s leg.”

“How is the leg?” Harry turned his head to look at the red head.

“Fine. It took a couple of days to get used to, but it’s all good. Thank you by the way. Without you I would have been shipped back home and forced to live in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me shite okay. I did what I could, just like I know you would have for me.”

“Do you need anything Harry?” Peggy asked looking relieved.

“I wouldn’t say no to a light supper and a cup of tea.” While Peggy went to get Harry’s food Steve and Bucky helped Harry sit up and piled pillows behind him. Peggy returned a few minutes later with a small bowl of soup and a cup of tea.

Peggy waited until Harry had finished eating before asking. “Now, if you are feeling up to it, could you explain what you meant by soul bonded?”

Harry looked at Steve and shrugged. “Up to you. Did you want to explain or shall I?”

Steve just shrugged. He honestly wasn’t sure how best to explain it to muggles, but figured he was probably the best bet. “I’ll do it. You need more rest. If you want, I’ll take you to our room so you can have some quiet.” Harry just nodded. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was still tired. Carefully Steve picked his fiancé up and headed for their room. Bucky was quick to jump up and open the door for his brothers then turned the bed down.

When they were sure Harry was comfortable the brothers left him to sleep. Joining the rest of the team Steve thought over how he was going to explain soul bonds to a bunch of muggles. He was magical and he had a hard time understanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think, suggestions are welcome if you think there are ways to improve this.


	7. June 1944 - January 27, 1945

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll notice I changed the rating on the story. THe boys finally worked with me so there is lemon, though it is not marked.  
> Like the last chapter, this one is a series of short stories. I also know that some things the guys say they might not know about, but phft, don't care. It works and I really needed something to work.

Harry led the commandos through the Leaky Cauldron to the back courtyard two weeks after the battle. His magic was back to normal and Dum Dum’s new leg was as strong as his old one. Looking behind him Harry had to stop himself from laughing at the others. He could understand their confusion and disgust, he had the same thoughts when Hagrid had brought him here the first time. '

“Harry,” Monty looked around him in confusion. “I thought you were taking us to the magical district, not some rundown pub’s back alley.”

Pulling out his wand Harry flung his arms wide. “Gentlemen, welcome,” he tapped the bricks in the right pattern and bowed as it opened. “To Diagon Alley.”

The commandos walked through in shock. Sure, they had seen Harry and Steve perform spells and talk about the magical world, but seeing it was completely different. “Holy shit.” Bucky stared open mouthed. “Are there places like this back home?”

Steve laughed. “Yes. Heilig Way is New York’s wizarding district. There’s a wizarding district in most major cities along with a few purely magical towns. Though Heilig Way is…”

“Brighter, more open, with the times, you know in the twentieth century.” Harry supplied. “The scary thing is that very little has changed here since I saw it last.” The thought that the British wizarding world hadn't changed in fifty years was terrifying for the team. “Exactly.” Harry guided the group up the alley towards Gringotts. “For all it’s laws against the no-Maj at least the Americans keep up with the times.”

They walked a little further while Harry explained the day. “We’re going to head to Gringotts so you can exchange some money. After that we can wander for a bit, grab lunch then head to the tattoo parlor.” The others were too distracted to do much more than grunt in response. Laughing Harry just kept walking.

Deciding that he would take advantage of being in the wizarding world Harry tucked himself into Steve’s side wrapping his arms around his fiancé’s waist. Smiling Steve draped his arm over Harry’s shoulders, pulling him closer. “I love you.” Steve kissed the side of Harry’s head. “I can't wait till all this is over and we can get married, buy a house and have a few kids.” Stopping, Harry reached up and pulled Steve down into a deep kiss.

Beside them the commandos had finally gotten over their amazement and wanted to ask their leaders a few questions, only to find the two men locked together in a deep soul searing kiss. “Close your mouths boys.” Bucky laughed at the others. While they knew Steve and Harry were together, they had never seen them do more than hold hands; the pair made sure no to do anything incriminating outside of their heavily warded room. So, seeing them kiss like this was a bit of a shocker. “Alright you two knock it off.” Reaching over Bucky smacked the back of Steve’s head.

“What the hell Buck?” Steve reluctantly pulled away from Harry.

“You’re scaring the children.”

Noticing the other’s red uncomfortable faces made Harry blush. “Sorry guys. I guess we got a little carried away with the freedom to be ourselves. We’ll try to keep it to a minimum.”

“Non.” Dernier spoke up. “Don’t worry about us. It was just a shock, seeing it first time.”

“Jacques is right. You two don’t get a chance to be together. So, take advantage.” Gabe assured the pair with a smile.

Smirking Steve saluted his men. “Alright, if you say so,” and pulled Harry in for another kiss.

“Damn it, Steve.” Harry laughed as he tried to push the larger man away. “I'm not snogging with you in public. Now, come on we have goblins to see.” Taking Steve’s hand Harry led the group to the bank, stopping at the doors. “Now, the bank is run by goblins and they can seem rather rude, but its just their way. Try not to stare too much.” Leading them into the bank Harry went to the first open teller. “Hello. I am in need of a goblin to exchange no-Maj currency, I also need to have money withdrawn from my vault for me."

“Teller Gnarlack is the one to see about non magical currency.” The goblin pointed to another teller across the way. “Do you have your key?”

Harry pulled out a chain from under his shirt and removed the key dangling from it. “I do. I also have my money pouch with me. I will require five hundred galleons to be put in.” Handing over the key and the money pouch Harry turned and led the men to the other teller while Steve wandered over to another teller. “Good day, these men require a currency exchange.” Moving aside he allowed the commandos to take turns handing over their muggle currency. Harry was eventually joined by Steve who had finished collecting his money and brought over Harry’s money pouch.

“Are we ready to go?” Steve asked as the others gathered around.

“Yeah, I want to see what this place has to offer.” Jim was looking excited with the rest, which was a relief after the disaster of their last mission. 

“Pick a direction then.” Harry suggested as he led the way out of the bank. The others all seemed to agree with him as they all waited for Jim to head off in a direction and followed him.

They had visited a few stores when Bucky called out in excitement. “Braxie!”

Looking over they noticed a group of young men, standing around a fountain. Most seemed to be still in their teens, though there were a couple that were close to the same age as the commandos. One blonde man turned at Bucky’s call and grimaced. Smiling Harry and Steve quickly made their way over. “Well, well. Abraxas Malfoy. Good to see you again.”

“Rogers! What in Merlin’s name happened to you? What are you three doing here?”

“Abraxas, who are these…people.” One of the younger men asked looking at the commandos as if they were dirt. Harry instantly recognized the boy from his second year and the trip into Tom Riddle’s diary. 

“I was going to ask the same thing Mr. Riddle.” Coming up between the two groups was an older man with red hair and beard. “May I ask what muggles like you are doing here? I highly doubt that any of you have a magical child of Hogwarts age.”

Bucky, not liking how the other man was talking to them decided to completely ignore the older man. “What’s up Brax? Did you not tell your friends here about our adventures? I though we had fun that summer.”

While Bucky was annoying Abraxas, Harry turned a cold look at the man. There was something about him that he recognized and didn’t like. “And who might you be to demand answers from us.”

“I am Albus Dumbledore, I teach transfiguration at Hogwarts. Now my boy, you will tell me what you are doing here and how you found the magical world. Then I will make sure that you forget it.”

 _Ah, Dumbledore. That explains why I dislike him so much. Even now that he is nothing more than a professor, he still feels the need to stick himself into other’s business_. Harry thought while containing his sneer. “To start with, I am not your boy. And unfortunately for you these men have signed a secrecy clause with powers higher than you. So, you will not be removing any memories today. I suggest you go back to Hogwarts and continue hiding from responsibilities. We shall deal with it all for you.” Harry turned his attention back to the blond, “Abraxas it was good to see you again. Now, if you’ll excuse us.” Turning around Harry smiled at his men and gave them a wink, holding up three fingers as if counting down.

“Now just a moment.” Dumbledore exclaimed offended. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I can assure you that I do not hide in Hogwarts. Now I demand to know who you are and how you, muggles found this place.”

Spinning on his heels Harry glared at Dumbledore. “I am Auror Major Hadrian Potter with the ICW Special Task Force currently working with the SSR. I also happen to be Heir Consort Grant. So, unless you happen to be Colonel Philips, General Grant or the Supreme Mugwump, I don’t answer to you.”

Beside him Steve was laughing at the put out look on the professor’s face and decided to give him another push. “I am Heir Grant; Captain Steve Rogers and these men are the Howling Commandos.”

“You…you’re Captain America!” Tom exclaimed, understanding who these muggles were. Even he had read about Captain America, Phantom and the Howling Commandos and had been grudgingly impressed. To know that Captain America was a wizard made him conflicted.

“Yes, I am. Now if you don’t mind, we are running late. Have a good day.” Putting his hand on the small of Harry’s back and guided him away from the professor, heading for the restaurant. Behind him the commandos flanked their leaders, they could feel the tension between them and that Dumbledore man and didn’t want to leave their leaders six open.

Thanking Merlin, he had the foresight to ask his granddad about Diagon Alley Steve guided Harry to the Silver Fox. “Reservations for Grant.” He told the hostess as they entered.

Harry shot him a surprised look. “You made reservations? Under Grant? How did you even know about this place?”

“Yeah Cap,” Jim spoke up. “What with this Grant stuff?”

“Right this way please.” The hostess gestured for them to follow her and led them to a large table in a quiet corner near the back. “Here you are Heir Grant. Let me know if there is anything else you require.” Giving a slight bow the hostess left them alone.

“Thank you,” Steve held out a chair for Harry before sitting down himself. “My Grandfather is Lord Grant which still holds some weight here in magical Britain. As his heir, I also have a bit of weight of my own to throw around. I wrote to my granddad a few weeks ago and mentioned that we would be bringing you to Diagon Alley and asked where to go for lunch. He suggested here and told me to use his name when making reservations.”

“So, what does that make you Harry? Lady Grant?” Dum Dum joked.

“No, you Dum Dum. When we get married, I will be Heir Consort Grant, just like I told Dumbledore. When Granddad finally steps down and Steve takes up the lordship, I will be Lord Consort Grant. Honestly, just because I am the submissive partner doesn’t mean I'm a girl.” Picking up his menu Harry glanced over the drink selection before calling out, “pumpkin juice please.” A moment later a tall glass of pumpkin juice appeared.

“Holy shit! What the hell happened?” Monty asked.

“I ordered a glass of pumpkin juice.” Harry smiled at them beside him Steve ordered a cup of tea. “Just say what you want, and it will appear. Don’t order anything alcoholic though. There is a spell to test if you have alcohol in your system and if you do, they won't tattoo you.”

Cautiously each of the men looked over their menus and called out their drink orders to the table. Steve ordered his own drink quickly followed by a first course. Beside him Harry was also quick to order food. "It's okay guys. Magical food is no different than muggle food. There's nothing strange in it I promise." Feeling reassured the rest of the team was quick to order.

Lunch passed mostly in silence. Only when the main course was finished (except Steve who was working his way through a third main) did Gabe break the silence. "Who was that boy you were talking to Buck?"

"His name is Abraxas Malfoy. He and his father came to visit back in thirty-six. We dragged him to Coney Island and made him go on the rides. It was odd at the time, he had no clue about trains, rides or anything really. He seemed straight out of the dark ages. Wait a second, Harry...Jared's a wizard, too isn't he?"

"He is. I shared a dorm with him in school and during auror training. He went and joined MACUSA as an unspeakable."

"What's an unspeakable?"

"Think of it like the FBI, the CIA and research and devolvement rolled into one department." Harry looked over at his fiancé and sighed in defeat as the other man ordered yet another plate of food. "Well, I guess desert is in order. Treacle tart." After desert, and another two mains for Steve, the men left the restaurant.

“Hey Cap,” Monty asked as they made their way to the tattoo parlor. “We did pay for the meal. We didn’t just eat and run right?”

“Yes, Monty we paid for the meal. I arranged payment to be taken out of my vault when I made the reservations.”

“Fancy.” The men all laughed. “Sounds like something Howard would do. Didn’t know you were that rich.”

“Here we are boys.” Harry pointed to a small discreet shop front. “Shall we?” Pushing the door open Harry led the way into the store.

“Afternoon gentlemen. I’m Charlotte Wood the owner. What can I do for you?” behind the counter stood a young witch with a large dragon tattooed on her arm.

“I owled a few weeks ago about a bunch of us getting matching tattoos.”

“Oh yes! I remember now. You also said that you would be supplying the design. Please come in, I shall get the other artists.”

“Other artists?”

“Yes. When I read your letter and you mentioned how many would be coming, I decided to bring in the rest of my crew to help out.” Leaving the room, the witch headed into a back room. She wasn’t gone long when she returned with five others. “My associates here, Aaron Smith, Katherine Bell, Net Murk, Daniel Renshaw and Lance Weasley.” Harry started when he heard the last name and gripped Steve’s hand hard. He knew that he shouldn’t be surprised running into a Weasley, but he was. “Alright, do we know where the tattoos are going on everyone?”

Harry nodded. “Yes, we are all getting them on our left upper arms. Though everyone besides the two of us need to have a non-magical tattoo done.”

“Yes, you did mention that. You also said that one might be difficult?”

“That would be me,” Steve took a step forward. “I’ve had my body altered by a serum devolved by a squib. It’s made it so that I heal extremely fast, my metabolism works extremely quickly. I'm not sure if the tattoo will take. If it does take, I need it to appear non-magical at times as well.”

“I think we can do that. Who do we have here?”

“Of course, I apologize. I am Captain Steve Rogers, heir Grant. This is my fiancé Major Hadrian Potter. Our team, Sergeants James Barnes and Timothy Dugan, privates Gabe Jones, James Falsworth, Jim Morita and Jacques Dernier.”

“Wait,” the witch looked them all over again. “You’re Captain America and the Howling Commandos.”

The men all smiled and laughed a little. “Yes, we are.” Steve gave the witch his public smile. “Can we…”

“Oh, yes of course. I apologize. Captain Rogers, if you don’t mind, I will work on your tattoo. “Let us know who is going first. Captain Rogers, if you will follow me.” The witch lead Steve over to one of the chairs. “If you would remove your shirt, I’ll get started.”

The men looked around at each other silently debating who were go first. “I’ll wait, you six argue among yourselves.” Harry stood back, walking over to were Steve sat getting tattooed. “So, do you think it will take Miss Wood?” He asked Charlotte.

“I think it will. It’s probably going to take a few times and some extra spells for permeance, but it will take.”

“That’s good. I’d hate to have wasted your time if it wasn’t going to take.” Steve chuckled.

“I think that even if it didn’t work for you, I still wouldn’t mind. After all, its not every day you get to put such wonderful art on a group of good-looking guys.”

“Quick, Dum Dum put your shirt back on before you scare the lady!” Bucky called out from where he was sitting getting his arm worked on.

“You know what Barnes,” Dum Dum pointed a finger at Bucky while glaring at the other man. The others laughed at the pair.

Hours later the men walked out with matching tattoos on their arms.

[Tattoo Image](https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Howling-Commandos-Insignia-Color-by-semisweetshanno/15591345.LVTDI#&gid=1&pid=3)

~*~ *~*~*~

“Peggy?” Harry knocked on the agent’s door. “It’s just me, I ditched the guys.”

“Harry,” Peggy opened the door a crack as she was in just her undergarments. “What’s wrong?”

“Can I come in?” he didn’t really want to talk in the halls, especially about this.

“Of course,” stepping behind the door, Peggy opened it wider letting her brother in. “What is going on? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I'm fine…I just wanted to ask you something and I might be kind of…odd.”

“Have a seat.” Peggy motioned to the chair,” let me just finish getting dressed then we can talk. Do you need tea?” pulling a uniform out of her small chest of drawers she entered the attached bath.

Nodding to himself Harry waved his wand and summoned the tea set he knew Peggy had hidden away. Quickly he filled the teapot with water and heated it while preparing the leaves. _I can't believe I'm doing this. I said I would never do this…yet here I am. Merlin what am I thinking?_

“Harry? Are you okay?” Peggy sat down beside him worried.

“Yeah, yeah I'm okay. You know about the party the guys are throwing Steve for his birthday?”

“Yes, Bucky invited me, but I have plans for that night.”

“That’s good. Buck said as much, I just wanted to double check and make sure. I just…can you teach me to dance?”

“I thought you knew how to dance?” Peggy was thoroughly confused.

“I do, but I don’t know how to dance…in heels.” Harry found the contents of his cup fascinating.

“In heels?”

“Yes. And if I could take a couple strands of your hair?”

“Harry. What do you have planned?”

“There’s a potion that allows the drinker to take on the appearance of whoever’s hair has been added to it…”

“You want to go to the party as me so you can dance with Steve.” Peggy smiled at her brother. She understood that it was difficult for the pair to get time together. Harry had tried to convince the team to have a night out in the wizarding world, but after their last trip the men were done with the magical world’s attitude towards them.

“If you don’t mind.” He had been thinking about this since Bucky told him about the team’s idea. Thankfully he still had a few doses of long-term Polyjuice in his bag from his last mission that were still good.

Smiling Peggy nodded. “Of course, I don’t mind. You and Steve don’t get enough time together. I assume that you haven’t told anyone of your plans.” Harry quickly nodded while downing the rest of his tea. “Okay. Why don’t we start lessons now, if you don’t have any plans.” Holding out her hand Peggy helped Harry to stand then went to get a pair of heels for him to practice in along with a skirt.

For the next couple of weeks Peggy taught Harry how to dance in heels and a skirt. He was doing quite well if you asked him, only he was starting to get nervous about the party. Almost all the one-oh-seven in country were going, to the point that Peggy felt obligated to let the club know what to expect ahead of time.

The afternoon of the party Harry excused himself from the team common and headed to Peggy’s rooms. Together they worked on picking out an outfit that would impress Steve even once Harry regained his own body later that night. Once they had a dress picked out Harry charmed it to stretch or shrink with the body that way, he would look good in it no matter what body he was in.

Smiling at him, Peggy pulled out a few of her hairs and handed them over to Harry in a charmed glass vial. “Here you go Harry. Are these enough for what you need?”

Taking the vial Harry smiled back at her. “Yeah, that's' more than enough. I suppose I should take it now so you can help me with the hair and make-up?”

“That’s probably a good idea. I don’t need you ruining my reputation by going out looking less than one hundred percent.” She joked.

“We can’t have that.” Pulling out the large vial of Polyjuice Harry added one of Peggy’s hairs and watched as the potion swirled and turned a dark red. Holding it up, he toasted her with it, “here’s to you for helping out with this.” Taking a deep breath Harry tossed the potion back and waited for the sensation of his body changing. After a moment the feeling stopped, and Harry had to take a moment to get used to his new body. “Oh Merlin, these things are huge! How do you deal with these everyday?” Harry looked down at his new chest.

Laughing Peggy pulled her double into the bathroom. Take off your cloths, I’ll be back in a sec.” Moving quickly Peggy gathered the undergarments she had bought for Harry, knowing that this set would look good on Harry regardless of which body he was in. “Here,” she said passing them to Harry who had immediately covered his body. “Oh, don’t worry about it Harry. Its not like I’ve not seen them before.” Peggy laughed; it was a completely ridiculous situation, but she was growing used to the crazy things that came with magic. “Do you need help with these?”

Harry looked down at the unknown garments then back up at Peggy. “Probably. I have no idea what any of these are.”

Taking the garments Peggy sorted them and began helping Harry put them on. “This is your brassiere,” Peggy handed him a black lacy piece. Taking it Harry slipped his arms through the straps. He may not be interested in women, but he had seen a few bras and had a rough idea of how they went on. “Not bad. I wasn’t sure you would know how that works.”

“One of my friends in school, before I ended up here, had a younger sister and my other friend was a girl. I’ve seen a bra before.”

“Then you should know what these are.” Peggy tossed another piece of black lace.

“Is everything you own black lace?” Harry asked as he pulled the large panties on. He had seen both Hermione and Ginny’s underwear before and what Peggy had just tossed at him were huge.

“No. Just the set I bought for you.” Peggy handed Harry the next piece. “I think your best bet for this is for you to sit down and I’ll help you put them on.”

“Oh, thank Merlin. I have no idea where to even start with these.” Harry slumped onto the stool with relief. This was the one thing he was very worried about.

“Stick out your leg and point your toes.” Kneeling Peggy looked the leg over. “Did you do as I suggested and wax your legs?” Harry blushed and nodded; he really didn’t want to think about that. “Good.” Peggy slowly pulled the stocking up one leg. “That way when you change back your leg hairs won’t wreck the stockings.” Once the stocking was up Harry’s leg she quickly pulled the other one up. Reaching behind her Peggy handed him another piece of black lace. “Here is the next piece.”

Harry looked the piece over as he stood feeling rather confused. “What is this and how do I get it on…”

“Better question is if Steve knows how to get it off?” Peggy laughed as she steeped closer and turned Harry around. “It’s fairly simple actually. Just a few simple clasps. If he does have a problem with it just take off the panties and leave the girdle on. I guarantee you that the men go nuts over it.” Doing a few quick adjustments on the girdle Peggy then attacked the stockings.

Looking himself over Harry smiled. “This looks good.” He looked over and noticed yet another piece of black. “What is that? How much more is there?”

Laughing Peggy picked up the piece of black silk and held it over Harry’s head. “This is the slip and it’s the last thing before the dress, hair and make-up.”

Harry lowered his head into his hands. “Remind me why I had this idea again?”

“So, you could dance with your man in public without being dragged before a Court-Marshall and shot.”

“Right.” Taking another deep breath Harry raised his head and nodded. “Do your worst.”

Peggy smirked at her twin, “Don’t worry…I will.”

~*~

A couple hours later and Harry was regretting his words. Peggy had truly gone all out and spent over an hour each on Harry’s hair and make-up. _Though,_ he thought looking at his borrowed body in the mirror. _It does look amazing. I can see why people think Steve likes Peggy._ “Pegs, this is amazing. I don’t know how you do this by yourself though. I couldn’t do it.”

With both hands on his shoulders Peggy leaned over Harry’s shoulder. “Sure, you could, if you wanted to. I can teach you when ever you want, if you want, and I promise to never tell any of the guys.”

“Thank you. I’ll see how this goes with Steve then get back you.” Sighing he stood up, twinging his fingers together nervously. “I can't believe I'm doing this.”

“You just want to be able to dance with him in public, I understand it.”

“NO…I mean yes I do, but I told him that I would never dress up as a woman for him. Now, here I am.”

“Well, technically, you haven’t dress up as a woman, you are a woman.”

“I fucking hate you Peggy Carter.” Laughing he hugged the woman.

“You better get going Harry. I’ll wait until you’ve all gone before I leave.” Gently Peggy pushed Harry through the door. “Have fun tonight and try to keep my reputation in mind.”

Laughing Harry nodded. “I’ll try to keep that in mind. Have fun on your date tonight as well.” Not wanting another lecture from Peggy about her reputation Harry headed for the common where the guys were gathering.

“Peggy,” Bucky called out from where he was sitting on the couch. “What are you doing here? I though you had plans tonight?”

“Peggy does have plans you prat.” Harry said eyeing the couch. He wasn’t sure if he could manage sitting on the couch never mind getting back up again.

“Okay…” Monty eyed the woman with concern. “Since when do you refer to yourself in the third person?”

“Since that’s not Peggy.” Steve said as he entered the common behind Harry. “Polyjuice Harry?”

“Yes. I talked with Peggy a few weeks ago and she helped me out.” Harry didn’t need to turn around to know exactly what expression Steve had on his face. “Get that damn look of your face Steven. Or I will take the antidote and not let you see me in this dress.” Turning around he sauntered over to Steve, put his hands on the taller man’s shoulders and whispered in his ear. “Never mind all the black lace I have underneath.” Pulling away he raised an eyebrow at his fiancé, daring him to say anything.

Clearing his throat Steve nodded. “Shall we get going then?” He offered Harry his arm which the wizard gratefully took. Both were feeling extremely nervous, yet excited as Steve led their team out of base and to the near-by club they had all agreed on. Thankfully the owners, being warned ahead of time by Peggy, had brought in extra help, including a couple of bouncers to stand outside and prevent too many people from coming into the already over-crowded club.

Steve was fully enjoying the evening. He had nearly all his friends here celebrating, not only the Fourth of July, but his birthday as well. On top of it all his fiancé had gone to the trouble of disguising himself so they would be able to act like a couple in public. Currently he was watching Harry dancing with Bucky while sitting at the bar drinking a beer. Throwing back the last of his beer Steve got up and headed for the dance floor.

“Mind if I steal her from you Buck?” he asked placing his hand possessively on the small of Harry's back.

Bucky just smiled. “Sure, thing Punk. Have fun you two.” Leaving the pair Bucky went in search of a dame of his own for the night. He was certain that Steve and Harry would sneak out sooner rather than later and head back to the compound and he would prefer to be somewhere else for the night. Silencing charms or not, he would just know how loud they were being, having listened to it before.

Out on the dance floor Steve pulled Harry close. “I still can’t believe you did this for me.” He whispered into her hair. While he was enjoying being able to dance with Harry in public, he missed the other man’s body being pressed against him. He wasn’t used to the soft curves of a female body and he wasn’t sure if he like it.

“It wasn’t just for you.” Harry admitted softly. “I wanted to dance with you at least once in public. This was purely selfish of me.”

Steve threw his head back and laughed. “Very selfish of you.” They danced together for a few more songs before Steve pulled Harry off to the side. “You know, I'm feeling rather selfish right now.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes.”

“And what is this very selfish thought of yours Captain?” Harry couldn’t help but press himself closer to his fiancé. He was feeling very small and dainty right now and fully enjoying it.

“I want to take you back to our room, have you take the antidote then see just how amazing you really look in all that black lace you were teasing me with earlier.” While he was enjoying being out in public with Harry, he wanted his fiancé back in his own body already.

Smiling coyly at him Harry pulled away slightly. “Then why don’t you lead the way?”

Wrapping his arm around his fiancé, Steve quickly left the club, going so far as to hail a passing cabby even though the base was only a few blocks away. Laughing Harry allowed himself to be pulled into the cab beside Steve grateful that the other man didn’t want to wait. Honestly Harry wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand being in the heels, he had no idea how Peggy stood in them all day long.

Reaching the base Steve was quick to cast a slight notice-me-not charm on them both. He knew that Peggy had other plans and he also didn’t want to ruin her reputation by having others see them rushing though the base to his room. When the door closed behind them Steve pushed Harry towards his things. “Take the antidote now please. I want to see you.”

Smiling Harry quickly pulled out the vial of antidote and downed it. It was odd feeling not only his body change, but the clothing changing with his body. Clearing his throat nervously Harry looked up at Steve. “What do you think?”

Steve stood still with his hands clenched in fists beside him. “I think if you want to keep that dress intact you need to take it off before I rip it off you.”

Licking his lips Harry debated for a moment. He had never seen Steve quite so worked up before and it made him feel amazing and powerful. Besides, that’s what repairing charms were for after all. Slowly he sauntered over and ran his hands up Steve’s chest and pulling on his tie. “Well, I'm not going to stop you Captain.” Standing on tip-toes Harry pressed his lips against Steve's.

Growling much like his animagus Steve lost what little control he had left. Pulling Harry close Steve ripped the dress and slip off Harry's body and threw the other man onto their bed. “Fuck Harry. You need more clothes like this.”

Harry watched with amusement as Steve argued with his dress uniform. Getting up to his knees Harry shuffled to the edge of the bed. “You want help with that?” reaching out Harry pulled Steve’s tie off then began slowly working on the buttons on his shirt.

Getting frustrated with Harry’s lack of progress Steve simply reached up and ripped his shirt off. Toeing off his shoes and socks Steve fumbled with his belt, batting Harry’s hands away when he tried to help. Once his pants were open Steve pushed them down nearly tripping in his haste to get to Harry.

Harry’s laughter was cut off as Steve tackled him to the bed. His wrists were held tightly by one of Steve’s hands while the other roamed over his lace covered body. Kissing his way down Harry’s neck Steve forced a knee between Harry’s legs and used his leg to push Harry’s apart. Whispering a spell, he released Harry’s hands and chuckled when Harry tried to get his hands free only to find them stuck to the bed.

“Steve,” Harry whined as he strained against the spell. “Not fair. I want to touch.”

“No touching. You just lay there and take what I give you.” Pushing himself up onto his knees Steve looked over his trapped lover with a lecherous smile. “I think you need to lose one more piece of clothing.” Tugging on Harry’s panties Steve pulled them down as far as he could without having to move then with an evil glint in his eyes, Steve ripped them in half.

“Damn it, Steve!”

Ignoring Harry’s protests Steve proceeded to lick, suck, pinch and otherwise mark Harry’s body while ignoring the other man’s throbbing erection. Once he was sure his territory was properly marked Steve moved on reaching for the lube Harry had brewed for them. Coating his finger in the lube he brought the now slick finger to Harry’s entrance and pushed gently.

Harry threw his head back into the pillows groaning in pleasure. “Oh gods, please Steve. I need more. Please.”

Reaching out with his free hand Steve gave Harry’s ass a light slap. “No. It’s my birthday and I want to play with my present. Now hush or I’ll gag you.” Moving his finger slowly further into Harry then just as slowly pulled it out, making sure to avoid Harry’s prostate beyond a brief feather light touch. He did this a few more times just to torture Harry some more before adding a second finger and eventually a third.

By the time Steve removed his three fingers Harry was a babbling mess. Pleased with the result Steve pulled away and smiled when Harry cried out in loss. “Just you wait. You’ll get what you need in a moment.” He took a few minutes to commit the picture Harry made to his memory. Harry was tied up, panting and covered in love bites. His skin was glistening with sweat, making the black lace almost transparent.

“Steve, please…” Harry begged quietly.

“Don’t worry babe, I got you.” Steve reached for the lube again and slowly rubbed some on his cock. After all he didn’t want to come too quickly. Lining his cock up with Harry’s entrance Steve slowly pushed in groaning at the feeling. Taking hold of Harry’s knees Steve threw them over his shoulder and picked up the pace.

“More! Steve! Harder!” Pushing forward Steve bent Harry nearly in half and pushed harder and harder. “Oh Merlin Steve, I'm so close…please…”

“Then cum. Be good and cum for me.” Steve aimed directly for Harry’s prostate and was rewarded with Harry’s cry as his fiancé came all over his own face. Steve followed an instant later. Slowly he eased Harry’s legs back down onto the bed and released the binding on his wrists, allowing Harry to sink into the bed. “Don’t get too comfortable Mo grá. I'm not even close to being done with you yet.”

~*~*~*~*~

“Alright future boy,” Dum Dum started one evening around the campfire. They were camped in the woods away from the rest of the 107. Officially they were ordered to make camp there so they could quietly leave for their missions, day or night without bothering the rest of the men. Unofficially it was so Philips never had to worry about him, or anyone else, catching Steve and Harry together. Philips, like most of the 107, knew that Steve and Harry were together, but as he didn’t **know** he didn’t have to report them, and he wanted to keep it that way.

The unit had just finished taking down another Hydra base and were enjoying the down time between missions. Usually the commandos were flown back to England, but as they were close to another base they were being left in country until a plan was made for taking the next one.

It had already been a couple of days and the men were getting sick of loosing at poker to Bucky and Monty. Steve had suggested they bring out the beans, but that plan had been quickly shot down. So, Dugan had the genius idea to question Harry about his time.

“What do you want Dum Dum?” Harry asked from Steve’s lap feeling a little annoyed. He had finally convinced Steve to retire early, now Dum Dum was bothering him.

“Tell us about the future.”

Harry turned and looked at the team. They all seemed excited and eager, _damn._ “There’s a lot in the future. What did you want to know about?”

“What’s the one thing you miss the most about your world?” Gabe asked.

“My Firebolt.” Harry had a dreamy look on his face.

“What’s a Firebolt?”

“A state-of-the-art racing broom. It went from zero to one hundred and fifty miles an hour in under ten seconds. My godfather gave me one for Christmas when I was thirteen.”

“That sounds really amazing. I didn’t know anything could go that fast, never mind flying on a broom. What about the non-magical world? What can you tell us about that?

“What do you want to know about the muggle world?”

“Everything.”

The wizard held his hands out in exacerbation. “That’s a bit vague. You want to know about tellies, VHS, DVD, CD, bands, computers, internet, cellphones, space travel-”

“WAIT!” Bucky exclaimed. “Space travel? As in space” he pointed up to the stars, “space?”

“Yes. Now, don’t ask me how or about any details because I have no idea.” He waited a moment for the others to agree. Even Steve seemed interested. Sure, Harry told Steve a bit about the future, but as it was mostly about his childhood Harry figured it didn’t really count. “Um, the Americans put a man on the moon.”

“You’re kidding me? The fucking moon!”

“Yeah. I remember my aunt telling my cousin about watching it on the telly when she and my mom was a girl.”

“What’s a telly?” Jim asked.

“Television. It’s like a movie, but smaller and in the house. They have shows, like on the radio but with pictures. Eventually they have what’s called a VHS that attaches to the telly and lets you play movies in the house.”

“You’re fucking full of it, Potter.” Jim scoffed.

“Really. You have no issues believing anything about magic, but you stop believing at something as normal as telly?”

“You’ve proved everything about magic though Harry. It’s a little harder to believe about this future stuff.” Steve stated as he rubbed a hand down Harry’s back. “What’s your favorite thing from the no-Maj world?” he wanted to get off that topic and hoped to help calm Harry down.

“Well, that’s a little hard. I was never allowed to watch the telly or go out to restaurants when I was a child.”

Steve’s head fell back. _Fuck._ He thought taking a deep breath. _I forgot about that. Damn._

“I would have to say the books.” Harry continued completely ignorant to his fiancé’s issues behind him. “It’s kind of funny actually. One of my favorite book series as a child was an older one, yet it hasn’t even been written yet.” Harry laughed at the horrified looks on the guy’s faces. “I think that’s the way for most of the things in the nineties…though I suppose if time moves the same it would be two thousand and four.”

“Two thousand…” Gabe stared at Harry and the rest of the team weren’t much better.

“I think you broke them.” Steve joked as he tightened his arms around Harry’s waist. “What books do you miss?” If he knew what the book was called, then he can keep an eye out for it so he can get it for Harry the moment it comes out.

“The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. I think the first one came out in the fifties. Oh…and pizza. I miss pizza.”

“What is pizza?”

“It’s a food. There’s a flat dough covered in tomato sauce, cheese and other toppings like pepperoni, bacon, onions, basically anything really. We had it for a school lunch once and because someone was sick that day, I got their pizza.”

“Pizza sounds good.” Dum Dum smiled as he reached for another piece of bread.

“Maybe I can see if I can sweet talk Christenson to let me use his kitchen and we can make pizzas.” The guys all perked up at that idea and were about to drag Harry to the kitchen right away. “Not tonight!” Harry stood holding out his hand to stop them. “If nothing comes up then we can try and do it for lunch tomorrow. Maybe. Now, I'm am going to bed and Steve is coming with me.” Taking Steve's hand Harry led the laughing super soldier to their tent.

~*~

The next morning Harry went off to talk with Christenson about using the kitchen after lunch. Once he had the go-ahead Harry then went into the kitchen to make sure Christenson had everything, he might need to make the team pizzas. Thankfully there was nearly everything they could want to put on their pizzas. Once Christenson and his crew had cleaned and left for drills Harry began setting things up.

Steve brought the team into the kitchen not long after, all of them eager to taste this pizza. They had even brought Peggy with them. The men were nearly vibrating with excitement, they were going to taste something from the future.

“So,” Dum Dum smiled, rubbing his hands together. “How do we do this?”

“You listen to me and do as I tell you.” Harry pointed at Dugan with a large knife. “Or we don’t do this.”

Holding up his hands in surrender Dugan nodded. “Yes sir, Major Potter. Mission parameters understood.”

“Now, do any of you idiots know anything about cooking or baking? I know I can't rely on Steve or Bucky for anything other than cutting things up.”

“Hey!” they both yelled. Harry just raised an eyebrow in challenge, which neither one bothered to deny.

“I can work an oven and follow a basic recipe without burning the place down.” Monty shot Steve and Bucky a smirk.

“And I have made a few cakes and cookies, so I am capable of following directions in the kitchen.” Peggy said.

“I can work with that.” Harry handed Peggy a piece of parchment that had been spelled against spills. “This is the dough recipe; we’ll probably need at least five batches of it. I’ve already proofed the yeast, so you don’t need to worry about that. Gabe would you mind helping Peggy out with that?” Harry pointed them to where he had the necessary ingredients and bowls waiting in one corner of the kitchen.

“Monty, as you seem capable of following directions without too much supervision, I’m leaving the sauce to you. I’ve already adjusted the recipe so we should end up with a lot of sauce.” Passing over another piece of parchment Harry pointed to where he had the ingredients for the sauce ready on another counter.

“As for the rest of you,” Harry led the men to a separate part of the kitchen. “We need to grate cheese and cut up toppings. Surprisingly I trust you idiots with knives more than I do with appliances. We need everything to be in bite sized pieces.”

“Do we really need all this?” Jim asked looking over the huge spread of ingredients. There was ham, pepperoni, sausage, chicken, mushrooms, peppers, onions, olives and a giant block of cheese.

“Yes? I mean everyone likes their pizza a different way, but if there is anything there that no one wants to try then let’s not cut it up. Give me a sec and I’ll check with the other three, just to be on the safe side. To start with we do need the cheese grated and the pepperoni, sausage and mushrooms cut up.” Leaving them to start with chopping Harry went over to check with the rest of the team about their preferences and to see how they were getting on.

When he was sure everyone was getting along nicely, he went to heat up the ovens. Thankfully the army had somehow managed proper electric ovens for this camp and he was highly grateful, he really didn’t want to deal with the commandos and a coal burning stove. “Alright!” he called out a few minutes later. “I need everyone to grab something and bring it to the center table here.” While he waited Harry gathered the pans.

“Okay,” he started by pointing at one end of the table where the pans were. “I need the dough to go at this end, the sauce next to it and all the toppings at the other end. If you give me a second, I’ll split the dough up and show you how to spread the dough out and what to do. Then I’ll let you all loose. But try not to make too much of a mess alright. And don’t eat all the toppings, we need those.”

When he was sure they were mostly all paying attention and not stealing too many toppings to eat Harry showed them how to stretch out the dough, make sure it was on the pan properly, cover it with sauce and then cover it with toppings. Once they were all done Harry arranged the pizza’s up on a large baking tray and put them in the ovens. “Alright,” he clapped his hands together. “Now we wait.”

“How long until they are done?” Dugan asked, nearly jumping up and down in his excitement.

“Around ten to fifteen minutes. Relax, you getting all hyped up will not make them cook any faster.”

Ten minutes later Harry was wanting to hit Dugan with a hex. The man refused to sit still, going so far as to get the others as excited as well. Getting up Harry went to the ovens to check on the pizza’s, letting out a sigh of relief. _Thank Merlin they’re done._ Pulling out his wand Harry opened the ovens and levitated the pizzas out. “DON’T touch them just yet! We need to let them cool. That is unless you enjoy burning the roof of your mouth on molten hot cheese.” Waving his wand Harry cut the pizzas and cast a cooling charm on them as he knew that there was no way any of the guys were going to wait. Just as he knew the guys all immediately began eating the moment, he lowered the pizzas down in front of them. shaking his head Harry sat down between Steve and Bucky to enjoy his own pizza.

“Oh, God. This is amazing! I love pizza.” Bucky moaned. Around the table the team all agreed. Harry knew they all could devour food like nothing else, but he couldn’t quite believe the speed at which they inhaled the pizzas.

Beside him Steve pushed the last piece of crust into his mouth. “Could we have more Harry?”

Looking around at the team who were all smiling and nodding, Harry sighed. “Oh alright. Let’s make more.”

~*~*~*~*~

If there was one thing the guys hated more than being bored on their downtime, it was playing Steve or Harry at chess during said downtime. Even Howard Stark hated it and avoided playing against either man as much as he could. The only ones who ever had a small chance of beating them were Bucky and Dugan of all people. Bucky, simply because he knew both men so well and could see their tells while Dugan had enough strategical knowledge to help him out.

None of the men had any issues playing one another, hell they would even take on Howard from time to time. They all enjoyed the game, and each would take turns challenging the team. It was only when Steve or Harry brought out the chess board that they would hide, though they had to admit watching Steve and Harry play against one another was highly entertaining and could go on for days (mainly because of food breaks).

One evening Jacques had somehow been coerced into playing Harry at chess. Pouting, he watched as Harry took yet another of his pieces on the board. Then an idea hit him. There was no way he was going to win this game…so fuck it, he was going to have fun with this. Jac waited until Harry made just the right move.

“Hun looks like you’ve got my king cornered,” Jacques stated as he took a swig of his beer. “Maybe this is a good time to mention that shortly before we started playing, my pawns and knights revolted and instituted a representative democracy. Feel free to kill the puppet ruler that was the one remaining vestige of our tyranny, you cringing servant of the crown.” Standing he held up his beer in salute and walked out of the room with a cry of, “Vive la revolution!”

Harry could only stare in shock at the now empty chair. “Did that really just happen?”

Steve nodded, “yeah I think it did. I suppose that’s one way to win at chess.”

The rest of the team was laughing hard enough that a couple of them fell over. Even Peggy and Philips were laughing. As it turned out that was the start of a new way of playing chess. Each of the team came up with their own ways of what was now known as cheating at chess. Once they had an idea, they were quick to challenge Steve or Harry to a game while the rest of them gathered around. Suddenly their chess nights became far more entertaining, to the point where Howard had created a schedule for who would play against Steve and Harry.

~

“Sorry, your kingdom experienced a debilitating outbreak of plague and now your defenses are shattered, leaving the board open for my rampaging forces…checkmate.” Gabe told Steve when it was his turn to play.

~

“Hey, welcome back. While you left to get a snack, those six pieces you’d captured slipped their guards, tunneled to safety and emerged right in the middle of your royal palace.” Jim casually mentioned when Steve returned from the kitchen one evening.

~

“Ohhhh would you look at that. My pawns all found Jesus and now they are all bishops.” Dum Dum laughed.

~

“So,” Howard said his night playing against Harry. “I know it looks like I'm putting a thimble on the board but actually my rooks have been using their downtime to build another rook, one that’s better, stronger, faster-”

“Really Howard?” Steve scolded from his chair behind Harry.

~

Steve waited for Bucky’s crazy idea when they played the next night. And waited and waited, eventually he figured Buck hadn’t thought of anything yet or was waiting to get Harry with it.

“I’ll be right back,” Bucky said standing and holding up his empty beer bottle.

Nodding Steve watched the other man leave the room. A few moments later he jumped when a marble smashed into his king. Looking up he saw Bucky standing in the door holding a sling shot wearing a shit eating grin.

“Looks like your king was just assassinated punk.” Tossing the sling shot at the board James turned and left the room. “I win.”

~

“Parlay!” Monty called out one evening while playing against Harry.

“What?” Harry asked feeling very confused.

“I invoke the right of parlay. According to the pirate code you have to take my appointed commander to your leader under the flag of truce.” Picking up his queen Falsworth placed it directly in front of Harry’s king. “Checkmate.”

Harry shared an irritated and fond look with a laughing Steve. “I hate all of you.”

~

Peggy was the last to challenge the pair at chess. “I’ll take you both on at the same time.”

They looked at her confused. “What?”

“One of you makes a move then you leave the room and the other can come in to make the next move.” Nodding they agreed and decided to let Steve go first.

During one of the switch-offs Peggy leaned back and undid one of the buttons on her sweater. Harry came in, looked at the board, made his move then left. He was followed by Steve who did the same thing.

Shrugging Peggy undid another button and adjusted her blouse before leaning over the board slightly. Once again both men came in, looked at the board, made a move then left without a word. Across the room the rest of the Commandos were all drooling slightly and completely unable to look away.

Several moves later and Peggy had lost. Steve and Harry sat across the table from her looking confused. “I thought you were going to try cheating as well Pegs.” Steve said as he accepted a beer from a laughing Bucky.

“Oh Punk, you have no idea just how well she did cheat. It just doesn’t work on you two.”

Laughing Peggy hid her face in her hands laughing. “I guess that’s what I get for trying to distract a pair of gays with my boobs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost done this one. I'm thinking that once this is finished being posted I might wait a couple weeks before posting the next story, just to give myself some time to write a few more chapters. Right now I'm fighting with chapter 5 and as I've told my friend I have no idea how long it's going to be.


	8. January 30 - November 16, 1945 and Epiloge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay here it is the last chapter! I'm really excited for this. So, a reviewer mentioned that Gabe was married and I thought it would be neat to mention it, though that's all it is, just a quick 'oh I have a wife' thing as it doesn't really make a difference to the story.  
> Once again, if you reconize it then it's not mine.

Harry and Steve were relaxing by the fire after their last mission. The group had just finished destroying the last Hydra base and were slowly making their way back to the safe pick-up zone a few days away. They had just made camp for the night and were enjoying some peaceful downtime. Gabe and Jim had gone off hunting, hoping to have something beside their K-Rations to eat for dinner. Dum Dum, Bucky, Jac and Monty had gathered near the fire in a circle and were playing poker.

Steve had gathered Harry into his arms and cuddled by the fire. The pair were always quick to take advantage of being away from base to be together in public. Thankfully, by now the rest of the team were used to their shows of public affection and no longer had any issues with it. That and Harry had placed strong silencing wards along with a proximity ward on their tent.

“How are the wedding plans going?” Bucky asked as he lay down his hand and gathered his winnings.

“Finished thankfully. I'm still questioning the logic of getting married right now, but at the same time I'm tired of waiting.” Harry smiled at that fact. He and Steve had talked about it and they had decided they were done with waiting. Steve had spoken to Philips and the Colonel had agreed to give the commandos two-weeks leave starting February 6. Harry couldn’t remember what month the war ended and they both knew there would still be a lot of work and maybe even fighting for them to do afterwards, so instead, they were getting married in a week.

“We kind of cheated. I called my Granddad and told him what we wanted to do. He’s been making all the plans for us; we haven’t really done anything. He was quite happy for the distraction. I guess he’s not all that busy at the ICW headquarters. He’s mostly been sitting around making plans with the other generals about possible ways to contain Grindelwald. Though, by the sound of it, he’s mostly just sitting listening to everyone else argue.”

“He did seem a little upset that it wasn’t going to be the large society wedding he wanted for mum but he's okay with our decisions to keep it small.” And wasn’t that something to be grateful for. Harry had been terrified when Theodore had started talking about the proper people to invite and how many reporters to notify.

“It should be fun. I'm looking forward to seeing how different your wedding will be from my own.” Gabe smiled as he dealt the next hand, thinking of his wife at home.

“I couldn’t tell you.” Harry shrugged and snuggled closer to Steve. “I’ve never been to a wedding, magical or muggle, and I think things might have changed a bit in the next sixty years.”

A hoot from the tree above drew their attention. Looking up Harry noticed a large barn owl with a note. “Hello there. Who is that for?” Flapping its wings, the owl flew down and landed on Harry’s outstretched hand. Taking the letter Harry scowled at the seal as he opened it.

“Who’s it from?” Steve asked pulling Harry closer. He didn’t like the look on Harry’s face, it never boded well when his fiancé had that scowl on his face.

“The ICW. Apparently, there is a dark wizard trying to start a rebellion in Basel Switzerland. They want me to go and deal with it. They know we’re close by and don’t think it will take longer than a few days. I need to let them know immediately and if I accept then I need to leave first thing in the morning.”

“Who’s leaving in the morning?” Gabe asked as he and Jim came back dragging a deer between them. 

“Harry is.” Steve stared down Harry’s argument. “He has to do a small task for the ICW while we’re in the area. Then he’ll meet back up with us when he’s done.”

“Oh, well as long as your coming back.” Monty said laying his cards down making the other three men curse.

“I don’t know,” Harry looked the letter over again. “We’re supposed to be taking that Hydra train in two days. I want to be here to help.”

“Don’t worry about us,” Bucky got up and sat down beside Harry giving him a small shove while the other's got to work on the deer. “You go deal with that evil wizard we’ll get Zola and we’ll met up back in London.”

“Are you all sure?” Harry looked at each man in turn. He needed to be sure that the team was going to be fine without him.

“Yes. We’ll all be just fine.” Dum Dum smiled at him with the others all following suit.

“See.” Bucky wrapped an arm around the smaller man’s shoulders. “We’ll be fine, absolutely nothing to worry about.”

~*~

Harry returned to London only to find headquarters nearly silent. No one would tell him what had happened, and immediately he thought something had happened to Steve. Yesterday he had felt a horrible tearing in his chest accompanied by the feeling of terror then a sharp pain in his arm. He was thankful when he finally ran into Peggy. “Pegs! What happened? No one will tell me anything.”

Peggy sighed. “Of course not. Come with me I’ll explain on the way there.”

“Is Steve okay?”

“Physically he’s fine.”

“Physically? Peggy! Damn it what happened?” Harry reached out and touched Peggy’s shoulder.

“Bucky. It’s Bucky.”

Harry felt like he had been hit in the chest with a bludger. “Take me to Steve.” He knew that his fiancé would be hurting badly if Bucky was hurt or Merlin forbid dead.

“The mission on the train was both a success and a disaster. We did get Zola and he’s being questioned by Philips. When they boarded the train there were attackers waiting for Steve and Bucky. While they were able to defeat the attackers, Bucky was knocked out of the train and fell into the gorge. Steve took off for the bar you all go to. I figured I’d wait a little and hope you got back and if not then I would go after him myself. Thankfully, you’re back and you can talk some sense into him.”

The pair made their way to the bar in silence, both worried about the Captain. Peggy led the way slowly picking her way across the debris into the bar.

“Dr. Erskine said that…the serum wouldn’t just effect my muscles; it would effect my cells. Create a protective system of regeneration and healing. Which means um…I can't get drunk. Did you know that?”

Peggy picked up a chair and righted it. “Your metabolism burns four times faster than the average person. He thought it could be one of the side effects. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Did you read the reports?”

“Yes.”

“Then you know that’s not true.”

“You did everything you could.” She paused and glanced back at Harry who just shook his head. Steve needed some tough love, but it couldn’t come from him, not yet. “Did you believe in your friend? Did you respect him?” she waited for Steve to look at her and silently agree with her. “Then stop blaming yourself. Allow Barnes the dignity of his choice. He damn well must have thought you were worth it.”

“I'm goin’ after Schmidt. I'm not gonna stop till all of Hydra is dead or captured.”

“You won't be alone.”

“She’s right.” Harry made his way around the bar and over to Steve. Putting his hand on Steve’s shoulder Harry stood between Steve’s legs. “Peggy, let Colonel Philips know that we’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to take Steve somewhere to relax. Come on you,” Harry grabbed Steve’s hand and gently pulled him up. “We are going to the Leaky, getting a drink and renting a room.”

Peggy stood and hugged both men. “You both look after one another. I’ll let Philips know that you’ll be by tomorrow afternoon.” Smiling at the pair Peggy made her way back to headquarters.

“Come on love, lets get over to the Leaky and get you a few drinks. I think we can get you a little tipsy with wizarding alcohol. Then we’ll get a room and I bet I can take our minds off things. At least for a little while.” Giving Harry a small smile Steve allowed himself to be led away from the destroyed bar.

Neither spoke for the several blocks to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry led the way to the counter to where a much younger Tom was cleaning glasses. “Evening gentlemen, what can I do for you tonight?”

“Do you have a free room?” Harry asked.

“I do, one of our best. Room’s a galleon a night, breakfast included.”

“We’ll take it, along with a couple bottles of your best and strongest firewhisky.”

Nodding Tom turned around and grabbed two bottles from behind the bar along with a key from the wall. “With the whisky that comes to six galleons.”

Reaching into his pocket Harry pulled out the money and exchanged it for the key and bottles. Passing the bottles over to Steve Harry led the way up to their room. After pushing Steve into a chair Harry turned to close and lock the door before joining his fiancé at the table. “Let’s see if firewhisky works on you my love.” Pouring a glass Harry passed it over to Steve then poured himself one.

“I'm sorry Harry. Its my fault Bucky died. I couldn’t reach him. He picked up my shield to defend me after I got knocked down. The force of the shield being hit knocked him out of the train. I got rid of the Hydra agent and tried to get Bucky.” Steve shook his head and lowered it to rest in his hands. “I couldn’t reach him Harry…I tried.”

Putting his glass down Harry moved to sit in Steve’s lap. “Hey. Hey look at me.” Reaching out Harry gently took Steve’s face between his hands. He waited until Steve looked at him before continuing. “It wasn’t your fault. We can play the blame game all you want. We can say that the rest of the team is to blame for staying behind. Hell, we can say that I'm to blame for taking that side mission.”

Steve was wide eyed, unbelieving of what he had just heard. “NO! No Harry, you’re not-”

“Exactly. I'm not to blame, the team’s not to blame, Bucky’s not to blame and you are certainty not to blame. If you want to blame anyone blame Hydra. They’re the ones who killed our brother, and we will get our revenge…tomorrow. For tonight we have two bottles of firewhisky, and…” standing Harry took off his cloak and slowly began unbuttoning his shirt. “A room all alone in the wizarding world where no one will care what we do.”

Throwing his whisky back Steve stood quickly, knocking the chair over in his haste to get to Harry. Tearing his shirt off he tossed it across the room as he crawled up the bed to where Harry was leaning back on the pillows smiling at him.

~*~

Harry gingerly sat down, unable to hold back a wince, sucking in his breath. The men sitting around the table all laughed. “Do you need a pillow for your ass Harry?” Monty chuckled.

“Fuck you.” Harry leaned back in his chair as he flipped the other Englishman the two-finger salute. “And get that smug look off your face Steven Rogers or you’ll be sleeping alone for the next two weeks.” The team laughed even harder. It felt good to have that small laughter after the disaster of the train.

Colonel Philips stormed into the meeting room, cutting of the laughing instantly. “Johann Schmidt belongs in a bug house. He thinks he’s a god. He’s willing to blow up half the world to prove it, starting with the USA.”

Howard came over and sat at the table leaning over and looking at each of the men. “Schmidt’s working with powers beyond out capabilities. He gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire eastern seaboard in an hour.”

“How much time we got?” Gabe asked.

“According to my new best friend, under twenty-four hours.”

“Where is he now?”

“Hydra’s last base is here.” Philip’s held up a photo and pointed to the base. “In the Alps. Five hundred feet below the surface.”

“So, what are we supposed to do? I mean, it’s not like we can just knock on the front door.”

“Why not?” Steve looked up at the map. “That’s exactly what we’re gonna do.”

~*~*~*~*~

Harry stood anxiously with the rest of the team on a cliff. Steve had gone in ahead and allowed himself to be captured while the rest of them waited outside for his signal. Before heading off Harry had placed an eavesdropping spell on Steve along with a tracking charm. Something was wrong he could feel it in his gut, but for the life of him Harry didn’t know what was going to happen. He knew it was horrible and terribly selfish of him, but he hoped that if they had to lose someone today that it wasn’t Steve.

Hearing that Steve had been brought before Schmidt Harry started to pay closer attention to what was being said and he had to laugh.

“Arrogance my not be a uniquely American trait, but I must say you do it better than anyone. But there are limits to what even you can do, Captain. Or did Erskine tell you otherwise?”

“He told me you were insane.” _That’s right Steve goad the insane megalomaniac, that always works._

“Ah. He resented my genius and tried to deny me what was rightfully mine. But he gave you everything. So, what made you so special?”

“Nothin’. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn.” Harry could hear flesh hitting flesh and assumed Schmidt had hit Steve. “I can do this all day.”

“Oh, of course you can. Of course. But unfortunately, I am on a tight schedule.” Harry stood and motioned that they were to head in. On either side of him the commandos all shot off their special made guns that shot grappling hooks

“So am I!”

Harry crashed through the window, gun at the ready. On either side of him the rest of the commandos crashed into the office. Immediately Harry sought out Steve’s eyes, need to make sure the other man was alright. The horrible feeling in his gut was getting worse; he was nearly sick with the anxiety it was creating.

“Rogers! You might need this!” Falsworth tossed the shield to Steve.

“Thanks!”

Jim grabbed his radio, “We’re in! Assault team, go!”

Harry followed Steve and the commandos into the corridors of the compound. Guns were going off and people were shouting as Harry ran down the corridor. Coming to a T intersection he spotted Steve hiding in a doorway from massive flames being shot at him. Scowling Harry sent a blasting hex at the fuel tank strapped to the goon’s back and watched with satisfaction as the man exploded.

Smiling Steve jogged over to Harry “You’re late.” There was something about watching Harry fight that turned him on even more so after last night. Looming over the smaller wizard, Steve was about to make a move when Harry stopped him.

“Weren’t you about to…” Harry had to smile. He knew exactly what Steve was thinking as he had similar thoughts when Steve was showing off his new height again, however, now was not the time.

“Right.” Turning Steve ran down the hall, pulling his shield out from between two doors. _Damn. I’ll have to hurt Schmidt for this as well. Hopefully, the de-briefing won't take too long then I can drag Harry to our tent._

After giving Steve’s arse a fond look Harry joined the others in taking down the remaining Hydra goons. Chasing the goons into a huge hanger Harry had a moment of disbelief. He couldn’t believe what Hydra had created. Far ahead he could see Steve trying to catch and stop a huge plane from taking off. _There’s no way he can catch that plane. I'm not even sure my Firebolt would be able to catch it. What the hell are we going to do?_

“Potter!” Philips called out. “Let’s go.” Turning around Harry saw the Colonel sitting in the diver’s seat of a fancy Hydra car. Nodding he jumped into the backseat and held on for dear life. Philips pushed the car to the limit catching up with Steve. “Get in!”

Steve jumped in and nodded to the Colonel as he once again sped off. They could see the hanger doors opening ahead of them, they weren’t going to make it… then Philips noticed a button on the dash and pushed it. Immediately the car roared to life and the three men were thrust back into their seats as the car speed off.

Getting close Steve stood and climbed out of the car, aiming to jump onto the plane. Behind him Harry stood as well, with every intention of following his fiancé onto that plane. “Keep it steady!” Steve shouted over the plane’s engine. Turning, around Steve spotted Harry following him and reached over to pull his fiancé into a kiss while chanting the incantation for the sticking charm in his head and pointing at Harry’s feet. Deepening the kiss Steve reached for Harry’s wand and tossed it into the car. There was no way he was allowing Harry to follow. Pulling away from Harry, Steve looked at the Colonel, he had forgotten who was driving the car.

Philips smirked at the Captain. “I’m not kissin’ you.”

Shooting the Colonel, a grateful smile Steve moved further down the hood, pressing himself tight against the car as they drove under the propellers. He could feel the pressure as they hit the shield and was once again grateful that his shield was made from Vibranium. Once they were clear he jumped, aiming for the plane’s wheels.

In the car Harry shook his head to clear it from Steve’s kiss. There was no way he was going to let the Pillock get away that easily. Standing he went to follow only to find his feet stuck to the floor of the car. Quickly reaching for his wand Harry was pissed to find it missing. He couldn’t look for it right that second as they were driving under the propellers and he had to duck and hide unless he wanted to lose his head. He stood just in time to see Steve jump off the car and land on the wheel then Philips spun the car around. Harry had to watch as Schmidt’s plane flew off with his fiancé aboard without any backup.

Finding his wand under the seat, Harry unstuck his feet cursing Steve the entire time. “Potter! Come on we still have a few goons to round up. We’ll head to the control room that way Captain Rogers can contact us when he can.” Nodding Harry followed the Colonel back across the hanger. There were a few pockets of resistance, but otherwise the base was theirs. Silently Harry followed Philips and Jim to the control tower to wait.

~*~

Pulling off his helmet Steve jumped into the pilot’s chair. He looked over the instruments trying to figure them all out. The one that stood out to him was a moving map that marked the planes destination and how far away it currently was. Knowing what had to be done he quickly found the radio. “Come in. This is Captain Rogers. Do you read me?”

The radio came to life and Jim’s voice called out through the speakers. “Captain Rogers, what is your…”

Harry pushed Jim out of the way and took his seat in front of the radio. “Steve is that you are you alright?”

“Harry! Schmidt’s dead.” 

“What about the plane?”

Looking down Steve noticed the control panel had been damaged during the battle. “That’s a little bit tougher to explain.”

“Give me your coordinates, I’ll find you a safe landing site.” Harry was desperate, they had just lost Bucky, he couldn’t lose Steve too.

Steve looked down at the controls. The Merlin damned autopilot was stuck on and nothing he did turned it off. On top of that there were the nukes in the back of the plane. The last thing he needed was to land somewhere safe only to have the bombs explode. “There’s not going to be a safe landing. But I can try and force it down”

Philips pointed Jim out of the room wanting to give the pair as much privacy as possible. He already knew the outcome of the conversation. Motioning for a private he sent the man off to find Carter and get her to the control room.

“I’ll get Howard on the line. He’ll know what to do.” Harry was getting desperate.

“There’s not enough time. This thing’s moving too fast and its heading for New York. I gotta put her in the water.”

“Please don’t do this.” Harry begged. Steve couldn’t leave him, he had promised. “We have time, we can work it out.” Harry didn’t notice the stream of tears running down his cheeks. He knew what was going to happen, but it didn’t make it any easier.

“Right now, I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are going to die.” There was silence on the other side. “Harry. This is my choice.” Steve pulls out his compass and canceled the spell hiding Harry's picture. He was going to need all the courage he can find to do what needs to be done. Taking a last glance at Harry’s smiling face Steve pushed the plane down.

“Harry.” He needed to hear his beloved’s voice one last time. He had to try and say good-bye without saying the words; he refused to say good-bye.

“I'm here.”

“I'm gonna need a rain check on our wedding.” Merlin, that hurt. They were supposed to get married tomorrow. Now it wasn’t going to happen. Forgetting about the bond that connected them, Steve hoped that Harry could find love again and live a full and happy life after the war.

“Alright. A week next Saturday at the British ministry.”

“You got it.”

“8 o’clock on the dot don’t you dare be late. Understood?”

“We’ll head up north, take a tour of Scotland, maybe Ireland. I’ve always wanted to see Ireland. Then after the war we’ll go home and start a fam-”

“Steve?” Harry called out not believing that his fiancé was gone. “Steve!” Harry was sure there were tears falling down his cheeks but couldn’t find it in himself to care. Suddenly he felt something crash into his chest, forcing the air out of his lungs. It was immediately followed by a wave of fear and panic. He could feel unimaginable cold stabbing at his legs, slowly climbing up his body. Clearly wherever Steve had landed was fucking cold. Harry tried to stand but ended up falling over. He couldn’t breath. It felt as if his lungs were freezing.

Watching Harry say goodbye to the man he was supposed to marry tomorrow was difficult for all of them. Despite their original concerns and misgivings everyone in the SSR (who knew about them) had come to think of Steve and Harry as that annoying couple everyone loves to hate. They had the kind of perfect relationship everyone wanted. It felt almost too private to be listening too, yet it also felt important to be there and understand. When Harry fell Peggy rushed forward immediately, concern for one friend overcoming her grief for the other.

“Harry, Harry! Talk to me, are you alright?” Reaching out she turned Harry over. “Oh god! He’s not breathing, and he feels frozen. Get a medic in here!” Jim didn't hesitate, he took off running down the hall screaming for a medic. Philips rushed forward hoping that it was just a fluke and Potter would get up any second. Kneeling beside Harry, Philips began compressions, if he hadn’t seen Harry save Gabe this same way not six months ago, he never would have believed it could work.

Hearing a hoot Peggy looked up. There perched on the back of the chair was a large black owl. Getting up she walked over and was surprised when the owl held out its leg revealing the message attached there. Gently Peggy took the message and opened it. Reading it over she cursed silently. The ICW was reassigning Harry already. _Wait! That’s it!_ Looking around Peggy searched for a pen and paper. Finding them on the desk she quickly scribbled a note and rolled it up. “Can you take this back to the ICW quickly. We need help.” When the owl nodded, she attached the note to its leg and watched with hopeful eyes as it took flight.

While Peggy had been writing the note the medics had arrived and relieved Philips. They worked hard on the Major and while they were able to re-start his heart and get him breathing again, Potter refused to wake. Moving him onto a stretcher the medics moved Harry to the temporary hospital tent set up outside Hydra’s base. With a nod from Philips Peggy followed close behind, needing to make sure her little brother was alright.

She wasn’t sure how long she had sat beside Harry’s bed but eventually she was joined by Howard and the remaining commandos. Finally, Philips joined them escorting a man wearing green robes, clearly another wizard. “This is Healer Sabella. He says they got a letter about Harry.”

“Yes,” Peggy stood and walked over to the healer. “I sent the letter with the owl that brought Harry’s new orders. I thought a wizard doctor might be needed.”

“Can you tell me what happened to Major Potter?” Healer Sabella took a few quick steeps to the bed and began waving his wand over Harry’s body.

Philips just shook his head. “He had been talking to Captain Rogers over the radio then he collapsed.”

Peggy glared at the colonel. “Harry was saying good-bye to the man he was going to marry tomorrow morning. They have been together for ten years now.” She turned her attention back to the healer. “He wasn’t breathing, and he felt frozen. Colonel Philips was able to resuscitate him after a few moments and our medics took over after that. They seem to think he is perfectly fine, but he refuses to wake, and he is unresponsive.”

The healer hummed to himself as he went over the parchment the diagnostic charm had created. “Did he ever mention a link or connection to this Captain Rogers and where is the Captain now?”

“Steve Rogers crashed a plane somewhere between here and New York less than eight hours ago. There is no reason to believe he survived the crash.” Colonel Philips stated. It hurt to think of the small boy he had met not even two years ago was now dead.

“He and Harry mentioned something about soul bonds.” Gabe said looking up from Harry’s bed. “They said that they both had a brother soul bond to Bucky. Harry mentioned that’s why it hurt them so much, physically, when Bucky died. I think Steve said he and Harry were bonded together as well…I can't remember how though.”

“Husbands.” Jim quietly mentioned. “He and Steve were soul bounded husbands.”

“Shit.” The healer cursed and lowered the parchment. “You said this Steve is likely dead.” The commandos all nodded. “Well in that case it is only a matter of time. The only way that Major Potter will wake, is because he has a task that he must finish.”

“What happens if he doesn’t have a task?” Monty asked. They all **needed** to know, but none of them **wanted** to know. “And what happens when the task is done.”

Healer Sabella looked over the gathered group with no small amount of sympathy. It was not the first time he had been called to the bedside of a person whose soul bonded had already left. “He will die. Properly soul bonded couples cannot live without their bonded. Only when there are children involved or a life altering task will one half remain among the living. Even then they do not last long, nor are they ever really truly happy again. I'm sorry, there is nothing more that I can do.”

Reaching into his case he pulled out a small collection of potions and handed them over to Peggy. “In case he does wake, he will need these.” Thinking for another moment he reached into his case again and pulled out more potions. “These are for you. Simple dreamless sleep potions. You will all need to rest at some point. I suggest making a schedule for sitting with Major Potter, those not sitting with him should take a mouthful of the potion and get a few hours of sleep. Do not take this potion daily for longer than a week, it is very addicting.” Nodding to the commandos Healer Sabella turned on his heal and disappeared.

Putting the potions down on the near-by table Peggy collapsed into her chair. “No matter what we do Harry’s going to die. It’s just not fair.” This was just one thing too many for Peggy and she lost her composure, breaking down into tears. Howard was quickest to react, getting up and pulling Peggy up into a hug. There was nothing any of them could say, Peggy was right. Harry was going to follow Steve and Bucky. It really wasn’t fair.

Dugan silently got up and went in search of a pen and paper. When he came back, he had a full schedule made up for them to sit with Harry while still getting sleep. “Howard, you take Peggy, Jim, and Jac and some of those sleeping potions and get some sleep. Gabe, Monty, and I will stay up with Harry. After you have all gotten some sleep and eaten, then three of us will sleep. I’ve written up a schedule and we are all going to follow it, alright.” Using the pin, he had grabbed Dum Dum put the schedule up on the tent wall near Harry’s bed before settling into a chair.

Seeing the logic in the plan Howard nodded in agreement. Sharing a look with the other two on the sleep shift Howard guided Peggy out of the med tent and toward the tent that had been set up for the commandos. At this point no one was going to care if she stayed with them. Taking the potion from Jim Howard held it to Peggy’s lips and forced her to take a sip.

With the help of Jim and Jac they laid Peggy down in Steve and Harry’s bed, then each man took a sip of the potion and laid down in their own beds to get some sleep. 

~*~

Harry woke feeling empty. Something was wrong, he just didn’t know what. Looking around he noticed that he was in the med bay back in headquarters. Last thing he remembered they were in the Swiss alps…Steve!

“Oh Merlin! Steve!” Curling up on his side Harry began crying. Steve was gone, Bucky was gone, and his mum was gone. What was he going to do now?

“Harry! Oh, Harry you’re awake.” Peggy reached out and touched his shoulder.

Harry slowly rolled over and looked up at his sister. Tears were running down her face and she could only manage a small watery smile. Gently Peggy ran her hand down Harry’s arm and took his hand in hers. Slowly pushing himself up Harry reached for her and allowed his tears to fall. Peggy gently wrapped her arms around him and allowed her own tears to fall.

The pair sat there and grieved for their lost family member. Peggy wasn’t sure how long they held each other but eventually Harry fell asleep again. Gently, so as not to wake him Peggy laid her bother back down and tucked him in. Looking up she smiled at Howard and Dugan who were holding a potion and a small tray of food. “Alright. I can take a hint.” Holding out her hand Peggy took the tray and allowed the men to stare her down into eating then pushed her into a bed with a mouthful of potion.

Hours later Harry woke again. This time it was Dugan who was sitting with him. “Harry, glad to see your awake. We’ve been worried about you. You’ve been out for just over six days.” Harry slowly blinked up at the other man, not feeling up to anything. “Do you think you’re up to eating?”

Harry found himself just staring at Dum Dum unable to find the energy to answer. Harry felt dead inside. He didn’t really want to eat, eating meant moving and moving meant caring and Harry wasn’t sure he could care enough. Deep down he knew that his team, his friends, his brothers, and sister, would worry about him, but he just didn’t have the energy.

Feeling his body moving Harry opened his eyes. He hadn't even noticed when he closed them again. The whole team had gathered around him and were giving him sad, encouraging smiles. Behind him Gabe and Monty were propping him upright with pillows.

“Harry,” Peggy sat next to him on the bed taking on of his hands between her own. “I know you’re hurting, and I honestly can't imagine how badly, but do you think you could try eating a little soup? You need to keep your energy up…you have a task to finish before you can go see Steve again.” Each word from her mouth felt like a dagger to her heart, but they were all true. Harry seemed to think about it then slowly nodded with the tiniest of smiles. That the notion of dying and joining Steve again perked Harry up and another dagger slipped into Peggy’s heart.

The whole team was having a difficult time. In under two weeks they had lost all but one of their battlefield leaders. Sure, Dugan was a Sergeant and had led teams of men before, but he hadn’t needed to in the last fifteen months. Steve, Harry, and James had been amazing leaders. The three of them worked together on almost an instinctual level and the rest of the team had respected and trusted in that leadership. Now, Dugan was having to take over leadership of the commandos. He knew he could do it and was willing…but he wished it were under different circumstances.

On the bed Harry was letting Peggy feed him warm soup a spoonful at a time. Behind her the rest of the team hovered anxious. Peggy had fed Harry most of the soup when Philips walked in with a wizard. “This is Colonel Shacklebolt, from the ICW. Apparently, he is here to speak with Major Potter.”

Harry tried to stand but Shacklebolt waved him down. “Don’t bother getting up Major. Healer Sabella notified us of your bond, and the death of Captain Rogers.”

“Does…does General Grant know?” Harry asked quietly.

The Colonel nodded. “Yes, he was told. General Grant was taken back to the States on orders from the Supreme Mugwump. He didn’t think Theodore would want to be here when… Your letter to Jared Coulson has been sent according to your request. General Grant’s escort was also ordered to make sure he was properly looked after before leaving…” Shacklebolt petered out looking uncomfortable. “The Supreme Mugwump would like you to take down Grindelwald. He understands that this will be your last mission, as such he has ordered that you do not capture Grindelwald. This is a kill order.”

Harry nodded as he tried to push himself up. He was glad that Jared would be there to look after granddad. While he did feel bad about leaving the men alone, he couldn’t hold onto the feeling for long. “Do we have any intelligence on Grindelwald’s whereabouts?”

“Yes.” Shacklebolt reached into his cloak and pulled out a thick folder with a pocket journal on top and passed it over. “This is everything we have on him. Including reports going back to the twenties. Hopefully, there will be something in there to help you. Should you need anything you are to contact us through that journal. It will also record any conversations when you run your finger down the spine or say record while touching it. Anything recorded in it will be sent to the corresponding journal as well.”

“Thank you, sir. I will do my best to bring Grindelwald down as soon as possible.”

“I’m sure you will Major. You have been one of our greatest agents and will be missed by many.” Bowing Shacklebolt left the room. 

He team sat in silence trying to figure out what just happened. “Did you just get sent on a suicide mission?” Monty asked looking worried.

“Essentially. Though technically any mission I get sent on is currently a suicide mission.” Harry joked smiling. That smile stabbed the rest of the team straight through the heart. His lips were smiling, but it never came close to touching his eyes. After how he used to light up when he laughed seeing him so dull was painful.

“You are not funny Hadrian Potter.” Peggy scolded as she placed the soup bowl on the bedside table.

“I think I am.” Harry deadpanned. He knew that it was hard for them, but he couldn’t bring himself to try. “I'm sorry Pegs.”

“Oh Harry.” Peggy leaned over and hugged her brother. “Don’t be sorry. We’ll be alright. You just…” she paused to clear her throat and blink away tears. “You just need to finish your mission.”

The rest of the team gathered around and allowed themselves a group hug. Harry allowed himself this moment of peace. For today he would be strong and hold it together, for his sister and the men he called brothers, he would be strong. Tomorrow, he would leave to find Grindelwald and never look back. He couldn’t do that to them, come back and hurt them more. Leaving once will be hard enough he doubted he could do it again.

Today…tonight, he would be strong.

Tomorrow, well…tomorrow was the beginning of the end.

~*~*~*~*~

Standing near Grindelwald Harry allowed himself a moment of happiness. Once he was done this then he would die and be reunited with Steve and Bucky. It had taken him over nine months, but he was finally here on Jethou Island in the Channel, standing near the broken body of Grindelwald. It had been a grueling duel, lasting hours, but Harry had one thing Grindelwald didn’t. Harry wasn’t afraid to die, in fact he looked forward to it, but Grindelwald had to go first.

Holding out his wand Harry cast the spell that would end it all, both the war and his own personal suffering. “Avada Kedavra.” He watched with a small amount of satisfaction as the green beam headed towards the once Dark Lord, only to pause when another person came out of the shadows. _Dumbledore. I should have known he would show up at the last second after I’ve done all the hard work._

Standing next to Gellert, Albus conjured a mirror in front of his once lover. He wasn’t about to let this upstart take his glory nor kill his lover. Once Major Potter was dealt with then Albus would ‘capture’ Grindelwald and bring him before the ICW and take all the glory.

Seeing his spell reflected on himself all Harry felt was relief. Smiling he lowered his wand, spread his arms, and leaned his had back welcoming death as an old friend.

This was it.

This was how he would be reunited with his husband and brother. He would see his mum again and meet his parents.

This would bring him peace…

** Epilogue  **

_“Curve ball, high and outside for ball one. So, the Dodgers are tied, 4-4. And the crowd well knows that with one swing of his bat this fellow’s capable of making it a brand-new game again._

Steve woke up confused. The last thing he remembered was crashing Schmidt’s plane into the ice. He could hear a radio somewhere broadcasting a ball game.

_Just an absolutely gorgeous day here at Ebbets Field. The Phillies have managed to tie up at 4-4. But the Dodgers have three men on._

Pushing himself off the bed he looked around the room. It looked like an SSR hospital room and he was wearing an SSR shirt with kaki pants, but something was off, his magic was lashing out warning him of danger.

_Pearson beaned Reiser in Philadelphia last month. Wouldn’t the youngster like a hit here to return the favour? Pete leans in. Here’s the pitch._

Paying attention to the broadcast game from the radio, he turned to look at the offending box.

_Swung on. A line to the right. And it gets past Rizzo. Three runs will score. Reiser heads to third. Durocher’s going to wave him in. Here comes the relay, but they won’t get him.”_

He knew that game. He knew that game very well. He and Harry went to see that game in May of ’41. Hearing the door opening he turned quickly to see a good-looking nurse walk in.

“Good morning,” she looked down to check her watch. “Or should I say afternoon?”

“Where am I?” he knew that whoever had him didn’t necessarily have his best interests in mind.

“You’re in a recovery room in New York city.”

_“The Dodgers take the lead, 8-4. Oh, Dodgers! Everyone is on their feet. What a game we have here today, folks. What a game indeed.”_

“Where am I really?” He was so calling bullshit on their ruse. Even if it was the SSR there was something not right here. His instincts were screaming at him and his magic was chomping at the bit to lash out at this fake nurse. Thankfully, he had plenty of practise keeping his magic in check, the last thing he needed right now was for someone to find out about magic.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.” She looked confused. Everything was well organized and looked authentic, why was the Captain reacting this way?

“The game, its from May nineteen-forty-one. I know, ‘cause I was there.” Steve stood, done with their crap. “Now, I'm gonna ask you again. Where am I?”

The nurse backed away a little. “Captain Rogers…” in her hand she pushes the alarm button needing back up quickly.

“Who are you?” He was startled when two soldiers in black uniforms enter the room. Immediately Steve thinks of Hydra and attacks. It was surprisingly easy to know them through a wall. Running through the hole in the wall he realizes that they set this up to make him think he was home. _I need to get out of here fast._

“Captain Rogers, wait!” the nurse yells after him. “All agents, code 13! I repeat. All agents, code 13.”

Running as fast as he can Steve dodges people in suits looking for an escape. _I need to find somewhere safe to apparate from. I need to get the hell out of here and back to Harry. Merlin, he’s gonna kill me when I get back._ Leaving the building Steve look a moment to look around the familiar, yet foreign scenery before taking off down the street. He didn’t get far before he was surrounded by strange looking black vehicles. A tall black man in leather with an eye patch gets out of one and walked towards him.

“At ease, soldier! Look, I'm sorry about that little show back there but…we thought it best to break it to you slowly.”

“Break what?”

“You’ve been asleep, Cap. For almost seventy years.” Steve looked around in shock. He was in Harry’s original time, sort of. “You gonna be okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah. I just…I had a date.” Harry was so going to kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's finally done. I think I'm going to wait a couple of weeks before posting the next story as chapter 5 is currently kicking my ass. It shouldn't be very long though, maybe only 6 chapters. If chapter 5 starts working with me then I'll post sooner.  
> I haven't gotten everything I wanted in this story, but there will be flashbacks to this time in the third story, which should be longer.  
> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you all in a few weeks :)

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism is always welcome. Please let me know what you all think.


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